ALASKA and Rain or Shine absorbed stinging losses at the start of their respective semifinal campaigns in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup last week only to bounce back in style and seize control halfway through the best-of-seven chase for the two championship slots of the season-opening conference.
Greeted by the GlobalPort Batang Pier with a 107-93 rout as Terrence Romeo produced a career-high 41 points, the Aces responded with a series-tying 100-76 romp before forging ahead behind another tough defensive effort that resulted in a 82-69 decision in Game 3.
The Elasto Painters traced a different route in grabbing the initiative from the defending champion San Miguel Beermen and matching the Aces’ 2-1 start.
Showing no ill-effects from blowing Game 1 (109-104) after leading by as much as 22 points, the Painters sizzled again in Game 2 to storm ahead by 25 points. Former Gilas Pilipinas gunner Jeff Chan, who was scoreless two nights ago, later quelled an SMB rally down the stretch with back-to-back triples off the bench to seal a 105-97 win.
“We needed to lead by 25 to win because we lost the last time with a 22-point margin,” Chan said in jest later.
Game 3 proved to be a classic duel that Rain or Shine won, 111-106, despite the absence of the 6-foot-8 beanpole Raymond Almazan, who might be out for two weeks after spraining his right ankle in practice Friday.
The Painters broke out of a close contest to take a 104-98 lead with barely two minutes left but Marcio Lassiter and June Mar Fajardo cut it down to 106-107 before Lassiter missed a runner in the dying seconds of play.
Jericho Cruz beat Fajardo for the loose ball only to be tackled by Lassiter, who was charged with a flagrant foul.
With Cruz ending up with an injured knee, Chris Tiu took the free throws in his behalf to seal the outcome.
The injury to Cruz was another cause of worry for coach Yeng Guiao, who seemed to have found a way to contain the unstoppable offense of Fajardo. The 6-10 Fajardo finished with 40 points and 20 rebounds in Game 3, but the three big Painters who alternated in hounding him also acquitted themselves well offensive-wise. Beau Belga finished with 14 points, Jewel Ponferrada had 12 and JR Quiñahan added 8.
Fajardo also lost steam in the face of the Painters’ running game that he missed four free throws down the stretch in Game 2, where he wound up with 38 points, two off his opening-game output.
The Beermen, for sure will remain a tough nut to crack for the Painters, but the Aces now seem to have an easier path to a second straight title crack.
After Game 1, Romeo and his backcourt partner Stanley Pringle have yet to draw solid support from their teammates, particularly Jay Washington and Joseph Yeo. And the Batang Pier have lost their composure several times in the heat of the rugged action. Washington was thrown out for two technical fouls in Game 2 and Romeo suffered the same fate in Game 3.