MANILA: Tim Cone said something good for the first time in more than a month.
“This is just a big weekend for us,” the outspoken Alaska coach told reporters last night, moments after the Aces rolled to their second straight win, an 80-74 decision of Purefoods, that got them back in the PBA Fiesta Cup eliminations fight at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“Hopefully, this victory would give us momentum for the remainder of the elimination round,” he added. “We’ve been trying so hard (the whole tournament) and it is only now that we have been able to take our efforts into the games.
“I never had the chance to rip (my players during a three-game losing streak) because they have been playing — and trying — very hard in practice.”
Alaska improved to 4-6 overall after getting 22 points from Joe Devance, 20 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks from Rosell Ellis and some crucial buckets from LA Tenorio in the stretch.
The Aces lost their last three games prior to this winning streak and Cone had admitted “almost banging my head into the wall to try and find out what’s wrong with this team.”
Purefoods lost for the first time in three games, getting a dose of its defensive medicine, to be at a level 4-4 card. The Tender Juicy Giants came into the game hoping to extend a two-game run after holding their last two foes to under 80 points each time.
“We did a good job on James ( Yap ) and that was the key (why we were in control all night),” Cone said after Yap, the winner of the MVP award two seasons ago, was held down to just 11 points by a swarming Alaska defense. Alaska was in control all game, only to encounter rough sailing in the fourth period when Kerby Raymundo caught fire and Peter June Simon hit some pretty baskets that had the Giants crawling to as close as two points.
But Devance, acquired from Rain or Shine at the start of the season, and Tenorio bailed the Aces out in the final five minutes and the Alaska defense held the Giants to just six points inside the final 5:54, with Yap limited to a single free throw.
From 71-68 after Simon beat the 24-second shot clock to enable the Giants to threaten for the last time with 5:54 to go, Devance hit a couple of baskets and Tenorio a layup off a Willie Miller pass for a 77-68 lead.
Simon hit the only Purefoods basket that came in that telling Alaska run.
Simon, possibly the finest sixth man in the league, finished with 20 points to lead the Giants, while import Jhamar Thorpe had 16 points and 15 board and Raymundo hit 12 of his 15 in the final half for Purefoods.
Cone also praised Ellis for his efforts as the left-handed import returned to action with 1:33 left even with a busted lip courtesy of a wayward Enrico Villanueva elbow with just over two minutes left to play.
“It just shows you what kind of a warrior Ro (Ellis) is,” Cone said. “His intensity is rubbing off on his teammates and that is a good sign for us. This team will go wherever Ro goes.”
Meanwhile, a regular double-header is scheduled today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay to make up for the All-Star break that starts Wednesday in Victorias City in Bacolod .
Barangay Ginebra unveils a new import in David Noel in its 5 p.m. clash with Burger King even as Talk ‘N Text tries to pin a fourth straight loss on slumping Rain or Shine in the 7:30 p.m. contest.
In the second game, Anthony Johnson had PBA career-high numbers of 43 points and 21 rebounds as Sta. Lucia ripped Barako Bull, 98-88, to stay firmly in second place behind league-leading San Miguel.
The Realtors were in complete command all game, leading by as many as 20 points late in the third quarter on the way to notching their sixth win in nine games overall. The Beermen remain comfortably ahead with a 7-0 slate.
It was the finest game thus far by Johnson, who has emerged as, hands-down, the yardstick among all reinforcements in the season-ending tournament.
And he got a lot of help from his locals, most notably Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Joseph Yeo. Nelbert Omolom was the fourth local in double figures for the Realtors.
“We’re in second place, but to be honest, I am not even thinking of the top two yet,” Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez said. “We still have a tough schedule remaining (in our elimination round assignment).
“Our next five assignments are no joke,” he added. “We will take it one game at a time and see just how far we can go.”
Jeff Varem, the Barako Bull import who replaced Johnson as Coca-Cola reinforcement in the 2007 edition of this tournament, clearly showed that he was the inferior player, finishing with just 24 points and 12 rebounds and failing to rescue Barako Bull from losing a third straight game.
Barako Bull slumped deeper in the cellar with its seventh loss in nine outings.
