The Aces completed their climb back to the top of the PBA, bringing down rock-solid San Miguel Wednesday night, 102-88, to bag the Fiesta Conference crown before a screaming gallery at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Diamon Simpson scored 28 points and had 19 rebounds and Cyrus Baguio and LA Tenorio again sparkled to share Finals MVP honors as the Aces won their 13th championship and tied the legendary Crispa Redmanizers for the second highest all-time mark.

Alaska played a total of 18 straight games in these playoffs since July 2, all against teams that concededly had more firepower, more superstars and were more expensive to begin with.

The Aces first beat the crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, 3-2, in the quarterfinals, before downing the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, 4-3.

Ultimately, the Aces had to humble the Beermen, ranked as the most powerful team on paper with a roster that could pass for two all-star teams.

“This (championship) is special, considering those great teams, those great coaches,” Alaska coach Tim Cone said in national television. “It’s so sweet when you have the chance to win.

Baguio, months after being traded by Ginebra, capped his season with a title and shared the series’ top individual accolade with Tenorio.

“We had 12 before, but the 13th is so special because the road that we had to take to get here was so incredible,” Cone added. “Could you have picked a harder road to go through? I don’t think so.”

The high-flying former Santo Tomas ace in the UAAP scattered 24 points, while Tenorio had 12 markers, 11 assists and six rebounds in another sterling display of all-around brilliance he brandished all throughout the post-season.

“Now my career is complete,” Tenorio said as he explained that he had now won championships in high school, with San Beda in the NCAA, college, with Ateneo in the UAAP, Harbor Center with the PBL and then this one.

Baguio, meanwhile, won his first PBA title since helping Red Bull rule this tournament in 2006, and it was quite a feat considering that most everyone thought that Alaska lost a lot in dealing Willie Miller for him.

“This is a great feeling considering what had happened to me this season,” Baguio said.

The Aces started out hot and built a 14-point lead in the first half before taking a 60-44 lead early in the third period.

And that was all the control that Alaska needed as it thwarted several rallies by the Beermen, who crept within nine points heading into the final 4:29 after Mick Pennisi hit three straight three-pointers for 93-84.

But Simpson, who lost the Best Import award to San Miguel’s Gabriel Freeman, quickly answered back, hitting a semi-hook off the glass before draining a difficult twisting lay-up with 1:48 left that put the game to bed for the Aces, 99-86.

Freeman went on to lead San Miguel with 32 points and 18 rebounds but got little local support – as what had been the story for most of the series – with Best Player of the Conference Jay Washington good for only five.

Joe Devance was also big for the Aces, finishing with 14, 11 of them in the first half, with Sonny Thoss accounting for 12 that went with 10 boards in starting out at the center position.

Meanwhile, Derby Ace will dangle a three-year, maximum contract to James Yap, the season’s MVP, when he returns from a vacation in the United States.

Yap is one of eight players with expiring pacts for the Llamados, who will defend their Philippine Cup title starting October.