SAN MIGUEL Beer’s June Mar Fajardo loses possession as Alaska’s Sonny Thoss sneaks up from behind in last Game 6. The Aces won, 87-76. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
KEEP the balloons hanging as Alaska earned the right to put its team colors up in the rafters, too.
Playing with command practically the whole game last night, the Aces prevented San Miguel Beer’s championship balloons and confetti from dropping with an 87-76 win that took their PBA Philippine Cup title series with the Beermen to a Game 7 this Wednesday before more than 14,000 boisterous fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The usual heavy hitters were back in their elements for the Aces and JV Casio awakened from a two-game slumber that had Alaska flashing more teeth than usual to win without having to overhaul such a huge deficit for the first time in the series.
“I know the history behind the Araneta (Coliseum), the Thrilla in Manila was fought here,” Alaska coach Alex Compton said. “I wish I can say that I had the master game plan like Muhammad Ali, the rope-a-dope. But (trailing) 18-4 was never planned.”
Alaska—like it has done in most of the games in the series—started out cold and trailed that much, only to catch fire in the second period behind Dondon Hontiveros and Sonny Thoss as the Aces took a 42-36 at the half and were never headed.
And when Casio snapped a two-game scoreless spell, the 5-foot-9 point guard gave Alaska its biggest lead in the series, 54-40, with a looping layup off June Mar Fajardo heading into the final 7:09 of the third.
Hontiveros finished with 18 points, Thoss added 13 and nine rebounds with Vic Manuel and Cyrus Baguio combining for another 22. Casio finished with nine.
Arwind Santos paced the Beermen with 24 points and Marcio Lassiter had 19. Fajardo was held to his lowest total in the series with nine after being held to just seven attempts from the field.
The last time that a team that trailed 2-3 to forge a Game 7 and win happened in 2009 when Talk ‘N Text rallied to beat, interestingly enough, Alaska.
The Aces are now 12-0 this conference when limiting an opponent to under 80 points.
“I think we knew from the start that it wasn’t going to be easy. Though we had a good start, the bottom line here is that we were outhustled,” rued San Mguel coach Leo Austria.
Meanwhile, Michael Dunigan, the banger of an import who made quite an impression in his only PBA stint with defunct Air21 two seasons ago, has agreed to come back and play for crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra.
Alfrancis Chua, the Gin Kings’ alternate board member, broke the news last night minutes before tip-off.
“Yes, he already signed a contract,” Chua told a handful of reporters.
Ginebra was involved in a tug-of-war for the services of Dunigan with Meralco, whose coach, Norman Black, went to the United States to personally woo Dunigan to sign with the Bolts.
The Commissioner’s Cup opens on Jan. 27 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, with the Kings plunging immediately into action against the Bolts at 7 p.m.
KIA Motors and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao get the ball rolling against Globalport in the first game at 4:15 p.m. with the Sorento seeking to win just their second PBA game with 7-foot-4 import PJ Ramos, a member of the Puerto Rican national team.
The scores:
ALASKA 87—Hontiveros 18, Thoss 13, Manuel 12, Baguio 10, Casio 9, Exciminiano 8, Dela Cruz 6, Abueva 5, Jazul 4, Banchero 2, Eman 0, dela Rosa 0, Menk 0, Espinas 0.
SAN MIGUEL 76—Santos 22, Lassiter 19, Fajardo 9, Cabagnot 8, Kramer 5, Tubid 5, Lutz 4, Omolon 2, Semerad 2, Ross 0, Pascual 0, Fortuna 0, Chua 0, Maierhofer 0.
Quarters: 17-23, 42-36, 63-56, 87-76