Aguilar, Fajardo go mano a mano

From bringing down Converge’s youthful twin towers, Japeth Aguilar and the rest of Barangay Ginebra brace for another bruising battle in a collision course with San Miguel Beer and its goliath June Mar Fajardo.

“I got to say that ‘Guess what Jap, now you got June Mar!’” head coach Tim Cone teased his veteran frontliner following the Kings’ 88-80 quarterfinals victory over the FiberXers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

But the best-of-seven semifinals series is no laughing matter once it begins with Ginebra facing the top-seeded Beermen, who got through the next round of the all-Filipino conference by dethroning Meralco in a dominating 108-97 victory also on Friday.

“It doesn’t get any easier for Japeth. It doesn’t get any easier for us. Again, we know how great San Miguel is. We know we have to get through them to get a chance to win a championship,” the 25-time PBA champion mentor said.

Ginebra and San Miguel set up a semifinal rematch since the 2024 Governors’ Cup, which the Kings won in six games.

The last time the two teams crossed paths in a Philippine Cup Final Four was in the 2017-2018 edition, which the Beermen won in five games before eventually bagging the championship.

“I would prefer to play them in the finals, but you know as I said, this is the runway we’ve been given. So, this is the one we got to go through,” Cone added.

Aguilar held his ground against Converge’s Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, scoring 19 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and tallying three blocks while guarding the shaded lane from the FiberXers big men.

It was no easy task, but the 38-year-old versatile center got the job done.

However, going up against San Miguel’s 6-foot-10 behemoth, who has been playing superbly and leading the Best Player of the Conference race, is a different kind of challenge.

“I can’t explain how hard it is playing against June Mar. I mean, look at him, he’s amazing. Running for Best Player of the Conference again, carrying his team. It’s gonna be tough,” Aguilar said.

“But it takes a collective team effort. I got to do my role; I got to do my job. We just have to rely on our teamwork. It’s gonna be hard,” he added.

Cone couldn’t agree more.

“I think what’s he’s saying is true. It’s just gonna be hard. It’s gonna be a hard series for us, no doubt about it,” he said.

“But that’s why we play the game. If it’s easy. We’d probably not be that excited to play all the time. The hardness makes the game exciting. We’re gonna use that and see what we could do.”

Semis action begins on Wednesday.