MANILA — Back to where they started.
Alaska and Red Bull last night scored lopsided victories over separate foes and put their respective Philippine Cup semifinal series into you-or-me affairs at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The Aces controlled the tempo early and then broke away in the third period to hammer out a 106-87 victory over Sta. Lucia that set up their version of a rubber match tomorrow also at the Big Dome. Willie Miller scored 23 points and Tony Dela Cruz added a season-high 20 as Alaska won this one with plenty to spare to gain the psychological edge on their relatively playoff-young rivals.
“Game 6 is always the toughest to win,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone, referring to the task the Realtors faced before the game. “It’s always tough to close out an opponent.”
Sta. Lucia could not match the intensity level shown by the Aces, who got a total of six players in double figures and only one out of 12 players utilized not contributing offensively.
Alaska closed out the third period with an 80-57 lead, and for the first time in the series, didn’t need anything special in the fourth quarter from Miller to pull out a win.
“It’s going to be a player’s game,” Cone said of Game 7. “There’s not too many things that us coaches could do out there when the buzzer sounds (tomorrow). We will just have to come out with the same energy.”
Red Bull showed Purefoods how to hold on to a huge lead earlier, pulverizing the Tender Juicy Giants, 123-97, to make sure that their best-of-seven semifinal series went the distance. Francis Adriano scored a career-high 29 points, and Mick Pennisi added 23 built around seven conversions from the three-point line as Red Bull won trouble free while certainly putting a dent on the psyche of the Giants.
“We’re right where we want (this series) to be,” Red Bull coach Guiao said, moments after the most lopsided contest of the series. “It’s a good win for us because we think we have the momentum come Sunday.
“I guess all the adjustments have been made (in the first six games) and I think there will be no more surprises on Sunday,” the mercurial mentor added. “We will just see who has a bigger heart on Sunday.”
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio stuck to the zone defense and died with it last night, not getting the results they wanted like the 96-95 high-wire escape they pulled off in Game 5 sealed only by a Junthy Valenzuela miss in the final 2.2 seconds.
Last night’s game was a complete reversal of Game 5, when the Giants led by 27 points in the second quarter and were almost dragged into an extension had it not been for that Valenzuela miss.
The plan was simple for Red Bull: connect from the outside and shatter the zone.
Which Red Bull pulled off with great effect as the Barako flustered the Giants with 17 total makes from three-point land out of 30 tries, a rate which Gregorio would later on admit as unbeatable.
“They made too many three-point shots, that’s the bottom line,” Gregorio said.
Red Bull actually used a 42-point first quarter to gain control and keep it, leading by as many as 30 points in the third period, 89-59, after a Pennisi trey from deep left corner that all but took the fight out of the Giants.
Cyrus Baguio scored 11 points, Pennisi 10 and Adriano nine in the breakaway opening frame as Red Bull scooted to a 22-point lead which the Giants never got close to overhauling the rest of the way.
