Batang Pier thwart Aces

GLOBALPORT’S Sol Mercado tries to put up a shot off JV Casio and Cyrus Baguio of Alaska in last night’s game at the Big Dome. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

GAME SATURDAY
(Cuneta Astrodome)
5 p.m.—Brgy. Ginebra vs Meralco

STILL willing to take the last shot despite an atrocious clip all night, Gary David hit the marginal triple that gave Globalport a 91-88 decision of Alaska last night in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After missing two shots in the game’s most crucial stretches, David drained the one that mattered with 9.1 seconds left from a Sol Mercado handoff as the Batang Pier rose to 2-1 and matched the franchise’s best start.

The Aces’ sour debut was sealed when JV Casio’s potential game-tying attempt at the buzzer was forced way out of target by the pressure defense of the 6-foot-7 Jay Washington on the 5-foot-9 Alaska point guard.

Petron Blaze got off to a blazing start against Rain or Shine later in the night and posted a 99-84 victory that made it a three-way tie for top spot at 2-1 counting the Batang Pier.

The Boosters opened up with an 11-2 lead, bloated it to as large as 18 in the first period and to as huge as 71-48 in the third to win for the second straight game while pinning a first loss on the Elasto Painters.

Globalport had won just a combined three games in its first two conferences in the league, and last night’s win was its first in four clashes with Alaska.

Willie Miller, the left-handed former two-time MVP, was actually on the way to becoming the hero for the Batang Pier after hitting two layups with his weak hand, giving Globalport an 88-85 lead going into the final 1:54.

Cyrus Baguio tied the game for the last time with 71 seconds left after draining a trey of his own before the second of those David misses came on the other end for the Batang Pier.

“They stayed together,” Globalport coach Junel Baculi said of his wards. “That’s the sign of a team that will win.”

The scores:
First Game
GLOBALPORT 91—Cummings 28, Miller 14, Washington 11, David 10, Mercado 9, Hayes 5, Nabong 4, Lingganay 4, Yee 4, Alonzo 2, Faundo 0.
ALASKA 88—McKines 28, Thoss 16, Baguio 13, Casio 11, Abueva 7, Espinas 6, Hontiveros 3, Ramos 2, Dela Cruz 2, Jazul 0.
Quarters: 19-26, 44-45, 68-68, 91-88