Alaska keeps winning against Petron Blaze

Alaska didn’t have to contend with someone as talented and driven as Renaldo Balkman to keep its mastery of Petron Blaze last night.
With import Robert Dozier having his way inside the paint in the absence of a worthy counterpart, the Aces ran roughshod over the Boosters, 92-84 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations and moved closer towards No. 1 spot in the playoffs.
Dozier scattered 32 points and had 18 rebounds and Balkman’s replacement, Rodney White, could do no better than shoot two points and grab seven boards as the Aces defeated the Boosters for the third time in as many clashes this season, counting the tumultuous win that caused Balkman’s banishment three weeks ago also at the Araneta Coliseum.
Three locals scored 11 points each and all but one of 10 men whom coach Luigi Trillo utilized contributed offensively as the Aces hardly showed signs of missing starting center Sonny Thoss and top quarterback JV Casio.
“I feel we’ve been playing good basketball,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo, who reiterated that Dozier is for keeps even after the arrival of Adam Parada caused some rumors to fly before the game.
“I’ve said it even before the tournament started for us that Dozier is our man,” Trillo said. “Adam is here to watch the game. He’s on vacation with his Filipina wife.”
White was hardly a shade of the import that Balkman was for Petron, and the way he was utilized by coach Olsen Racela – and with the Boosters having a week’s break – it seems that a new reinforcement will come for Petron.
And that could even be Parada.
“You have to give him (Parada) an opportunity (to make a living),” Trillo said when asked if the Aces would be willing to release the 7-foot- behemoth to any team. “We will not deny him that.”
With White firing duds the whole night, Petron’s talented local crew kept the Boosters in the game, with Marcio Lassiter shooting 24 points and Jay Washington finishing with 22 to lead the team.
Alaska rose to 8-3 with the win and broke out of a tie for the lead with idle Rain or Shine, which, incidentally, the Aces will face on Friday.
Petron, meanwhile, lost for the second straight game with White and the Boosters are now at 6-4, a full game behind the Elasto Painters in second spot. The top two positions after the eliminations carry twice-to-beat privileges into the first round of the playoffs.
“It (No. 1) is there for us, and we control our destiny,” Trillo said. “It’s got to be one game at a time for us.”
And while jockeying for top spot has kept Alaska, Rain or Shine and Petron busy, Globalport practically bid its playoff hopes adieu after bowing to Meralco, 103-92.
Mac Cardona snapped a personal slump with a 30-point night and Eric Dawson finished with 37 points and 13 boards as the Bolts climbed to a level 5-5 and forged a five-way tie for fourth spot.
Globalport lost for the eighth straight game and at 2-9, is within another setback of seeing the curtains early for the second straight tournament of its young PBA life.
For the Batang Pier to have a chance, they must sweep their remaining three assignments and hope that one team from among Meralco, Air21, Barangay Ginebra, San Mig Coffee and Talk ’N Text – which are all tied at 5-5 – loses its remaining four assignments and doesn’t get a sixth win.