Two down, one to go for Alaska
(UPDATE) Alaska has no intention of giving Barangay Ginebra any chance to survive.
With veterans Dondon Hontiveros and Sonny Thoss coming up big in the stretch, the Aces re-asserted their domination over the Gin Kings, 104-90, Friday night to move on the threshold of hoisting the PBA Commissioners Cup title at the packed MOA Arena in Pasay City.
After essaying a masterful 87-70 win in the opener last Wednesday, Alaska got a big lift from their two battle-scarred cagers in the face of Ginebra’s strong push in the fourth canto, with Hontiveros delivering four triples, including three straight, and Thoss banging in seven big points, highlighted by a game-clinching three-point play.
Those notable exploits enabled the Aces to take a commanding 2-to-nothing lead and the chance to wield the big broom in Game 3 on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Proving he still has a lot of ammunition left in his 35-year-old artillery, Hontiveros finished with 15 points, 12 of those from beyond the arc in the payoff canto while the 6-foot-7 Thoss churned in a team-high 16 markers and eight rebounds while putting the clamps anew on Ginebra import Vernon Macklin.
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The 6-foot-10 Macklin, who threw his full weight around his Talk ‘N Text defenders in the semifinals, was far from his razor-sharp form again, visibly hobbling due a nagging thigh injury coupled with Thoss’ tough defense at the post.
Four other players–import Robert Dozier, super rookie Calvin Abueva, Cyrus Baguio and guard JVee Casio–contributed at least 13 points each for the Aces, who led by as many as 68-44 before the Gin Kings mounted an uprising into the fourth.
With its locals filling up the scoring load in lieu of Macklin, Ginebra pulled within 86-94 off a Mac Baracael trey left, but Thoss restored order with a huge completed three-point play with 49.8 ticks to go.
The Main Man: They don’t call Sonny Thoss “The Boss” for nothing.
Now molded as the team’s defensive anchor, Thoss made life miserable anew for Macklin, limiting the Ginebra import anew to a measly eight-point production. Not yet done, the former James Cook University standout also made his offensive damage in the fourth, capping his seven-point output with a difficult bank shot plus a foul off Baracael that gave the Aces a hefty 11-point cushion, practically sealing the deal with less than 50 seconds left.
Honorable Mention: Determined to claw back, Ginebra employed a 1-3-1 zone defense but Hontiveros shattered it into pieces.
“The Cebuano Hotshot” turned into a zone buster in the fourth, knocking down three consecutive triples in a sizzling one-minute, eight-second sequence midway in the fourth that helped the Aces took control again.
Hontiveros, who only had two points in the opener, rubbed salt into the Gin Kings’ wounds, drilling in another trey off an Abueva dish that pegged the final tally.
Game Turning Point: Although Ginebra got off to an auspicious start this time, Alaska sustained its fiery form and started to pull away with a 29-point explosion in the second canto before posting as high as a 30-point lead midway in the third.
The Gin Kings methodically clawed back mainly behind JJ Helterbrand, LA Tenorio and Kerby Raymundo and came within just 14 points with more than eight minutes left.
Then Hontiveros put on a scoring spree that kept the Aces in command before the Gin Kings uncorked a 10-2 run–capped by a Baracael trey–that trimmed their deficit to just 86-94.
The ensuing play, however, proved to be the dagger to Ginebra’s heart, with Thoss forcing Baracael to buy into a shot fake before banking in a tough bucket that restored the Aces lead to 11, time down to just 49.8 seconds.
Quotable Quotes:
“We have to weather that first quarter storm. There’s a lot of pride and a lot of tradition on that other side. In Game 1, I thought they came from a Sunday game. Sunday will be a test for them as a team. Ginebra came out with so much intensity.
“We just check ‘yung emotions namin. Naka-focus kami sa prize namin. There’s a lot of respect we give to Tenorio, Macklin, JayJay and Kerby. Kaya sila (Gin Kings) nandito dahil sa kanila. We don’t wanna look past our game. Our game plan's been working and you maximize that. There's still a lot of respect there. They beat Rain or Shine and they finished Talk ‘N Text. We don’t see them playing to our identity. Two games in a row, we've been successful in doing what we do. Game 3 might be just game-time adjustments,” stated Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.
ALASKA (104) - Thoss 16, Dozier 15, Abueva 15, Baguio 15, Hontiveros 15, Casio 13, Espinas 8, Jazul 4, Belasco 3, Dela Cruz 0.
GINEBRA (90) - Helterbrand 17, Tenorio 16, Baracael 11, Raymundo 10, Macklin 8, Ellis 8, Labagala 5, Urbiztondo 5, Mamaril 4, Hatfield 4, Caguioa 2, Maierhofer 0.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 54-37, 74-56, 104-90
