PBA suspends referees, barker in aftermath of Ginebra-SMB game

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PBA suspends referees, barker in aftermath of Ginebra-SMB game

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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The PBA penalized game officials and even the coliseum barker in the wake of the confusing Ginebra-SMB game. PBA Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) came down hard on the referees and even the coliseum barker in the wake of wild, confusing finish of the Barangay Ginebra-San Miguel game last Sunday.

The Gin Kings won, 100-96, to snap a three-game slide in the PBA Philippine Cup and hand the Beermen their first loss of the conference.

But their triumph became almost an afterthought as fans, players, and coaches instead focused on the crazy ending of the game, which saw San Miguel trim the deficit to two-points with under two minutes left.

Chaos ensued when Chris Ross took a free throw that was meant for Chico Lanete, leading officials to give him a technical. Ross insisted that the referees were at fault, and that he was only following the instructions of the coliseum barker, Noel Zarate, who announced that he was to take the charities.

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Two days later, the league announced that Zarate, as well as the officials who worked the game – Jerry Borja, Jimmy Mariano, Noy Guevarra, and Mardy Montoya – have all been suspended. The book scorer, Lito Mendegoria, was also suspended.

Guevarra was the referee who handed Ross the ball with 4.5 seconds to go, leading the SMB guard to take one free throw before they called a timeout. That gave the officials time to review the situation, and assess Ross with the technical foul.

In an interview with media after the game, PBA technical director Eric Castro acknowledged that the referees were at fault, to a degree, but also stressed that the players should know who is responsible for taking free throws.

Ross did not escape punishment. The SMB guard was fined P20,000 "for issuing statements detrimental to the league," as he continued his tirade on social media at the end of the game. He was also fined a further P5,800 after being called for two technical fouls in the game.

TNT forward Troy Rosario also received a P5,000 fine after committing a flagrant foul penalty 1 in their game against Magnolia.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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