Alaska sends Air21 packing, moves on to semis

JVee Casio failed to see action when Alaska initially met a streaking Air21 crew last month. He finally suited up Saturday night, and the Express were left wishing he hadn’t.

The heady 5-foot-10 playmaker came through with a game-high 19 points, including a pair of booming triples in the payoff period, as the Aces survived the Express’ furious fightback 87-81 and barged into the semifinals of the PBA Commissioners Cup at the MOA Arena.

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Bothered by a knee injury that sidelined him in the Aces’ 68-74 defeat to the Express last March 15 , Casio was back in his usual element, providing the needed stability and clutch shooting while getting ample support from his teammates, enough to give Alaska a quick ride into the semifinals.

Efficient import Robert Dozier collected 17 points and 22 rebounds while locals Calvin Abueva (14 markers), Sonny Thoss (12) and Cyrus Baguio (12) also made their presence felt for the Aces, who dropped a telling 7-3 wind-up to spoil the Express’ last-ditch uprising.

KG Cañaleta led eighth-ranked Air21 with 16 points but import Michael Dunigan–usually good for 25 points and 16 rebounds per outing–struggled throughout and was held down to just 13 markers.

Alaska now has to wait for the winner of the best-of-three quarterfinals series between defending champion San Mig Coffee and Meralco, with the Bolts leading 1-0.
 
MVP: Arguably one of the under-appreciated starting playmakers in the league, Casio once again proved he deserves second-look.

The former La Salle guard flourished anew for the Aces notably in the crunch, drilling in one big triple after another, the last restoring order for an 85-78 cushion with 75 seconds to play.
 
X-Factor: Outplayed by the 6-foot-10 Dunigan in their previous meeting, the 6-foot-9 Dozier got fitting revenge this time.

The former Memphis Tiger was all over the place and was one of the main reasons why the intimidating Express import failed to find his groove.
 
Game Turning Point: Enjoying a big 50-31 spread early in the third canto, the Aces still failed to completely put the Express away.

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Mike Cortez and Mark Isip scored nine unanswered points, pulling Air21 within 78-80, but Alaska–playing steady as ever–got a needed mid-range bucket from Thoss before Casio drilled in a cold-blooded triple to make it a considerable seven-point gap with 1:15 to go.
 
Quotable Quotes:
“Nag-stick lang kami sa game plan. Nabigyan lang rin ako ng opportunity dahil sa maaayos na screens. We really play for each other and we also set each other,” said Casio, who sank a total of four treys and also issued five assists.
 
“It’s good to see the guys healthy. We still have a lot of improvement to work on. We could’ve done a good job defensively in the fourth. This win gave us another opportunity to refresh and regroup. Every game now is tough and really scratch-and-claw. Either San Mig or Meralco, all we have to do is to prepare. I am kind of relieved that we got over Air21,” stated Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.
 
 
 
ALASKA (87) – Casio 19, Dozier 17, Abueva 14, Thoss 12, Baguio 12, Jazul 8, Hontiveros 3, Dela Cruz 2, Reyes 0, Espinas 0.

AIR21 (81) – Canaleta 16, Dunigan 13, Cortez 11, Omolon 9, Custodio 8, Isip 8, Arboleda 8, Baclao 4, Menor 4, Atkins 0, Wilson 0, Ritualo 0.
Quarterscores: 28-21, 46-29, 67-60, 87-81