JERWIN Gaco reintroduced himself big time yesterday, leading a big second-half assault as Harbour Centre waylaid Hapee Toothpaste, 85-62, in Game 1 of their semifinal series in the 2009 Philippine Basketball League PG-Flex Linoleum Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig.

Almost forgotten after a so-so performance in the second round of the elims, the 6’4” Gaco tallied 15 points aside from spearheading the team’s rock-solid defense that limited the Complete Protectors to just 12 points in the third, which was enough to take the opening of their best-of-five series.

Gaco, a member of the team since its first championship, finished with a double-double as he grabbed 15 boards, a performance that drew raves from owner Mikee Romero.

From a slim 43-33 halftime lead, the Batang Pier padded their lead to 58-38 behind a 15-5 run that completely unnerved the Complete Protectors.

While they muzzled Hapee’s top guns, notably Jervy Cruz and Chris Tiu, the Batang Pier exploded for 26 points in the payoff period.

“We wanted to play hard up kasi pagdating sa second half, I know pagod na sila [Complete Protectors] because they played four straight games na,” said Harbour Centre mentor Jorge Gallent.

Aside from Gaco, center Rico Maierhofer also produced huge numbers with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Reed Juntilla proved that he’s still a force to reckon with by leading all scorers with 19 points.

The return of point guard Al Vergara was also a big help as he orchestrated the team’s fluid running game with his court leadership and brilliant plays. They had 16 fastbreak points compared to just one for Hapee.

The 5’8” Vergara, who arrived from Singapore only last Tuesday, finished with seven points, eight assists, two rebounds and a steal aside from making life miserable for Tiu.