Barako Bull nears league lead in facing struggling Alaska Aces

MANILA, Philippines — Alaska could be vulnerable with its awful shape but Barako Bull isn’t going to cool down with its burning streak.

The Energy aim to stretch their victory ride to five and gain a share of the top spot in an interesting PBA Philippine Cup encounter with the faltering Aces on Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Alaska can be really dangerous. Probably they’re still adjusting, but it’s just a matter of time,” said Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi.

But probably not as dangerous as the Energy, who won four straight following a setback in their debut for a similar record with the second-running Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.

The hottest team in the conference had been consistently squeezing out above-par performances from two-time MVP Willie Miller and rookie Dylan Ababou besides getting an additional lift from veteran forward Danny Seigle lately.

The trio of Miller, Ababou and Seigle starred in an 87-84 overtime win over the B-Meg Llamados in Panabo City, Davao Del Norte last Saturday after coasting against Shopinas.com and surprise victories over Barangay Ginebra and defending champion Talk ‘N Text.

The Llamados aim to pull themselves out of a 2-4 hole against winless Shopinas.com in the other game.

After losing coach Tim Cone to the Llamados in the off season, the Aces have yet to find their niche in Joel Banal’s system, dropping all of their five games in the process.

“But I wouldn’t take them lightly. With the lineup that they have and the talent out there, they can contend this conference,” said Baculi.

“Hopefully, we can continue winning. But we have to be careful against Alaska. They are capable of beating any team,” he added.

Under Banal, the Aces tied a franchise worst in the 2001 Governor’s Cup after absorbing an 81-75 defeat against the Meralco Bolts.

Banal had been Cone’s deputy for 10 years but couldn’t get the winning formula yet.

“Barako Bull is an all-star team. A win will definitely regain our confidence,” said Banal. “They’re on a roll and our goal is to contain their scorers and win the battle on rebounds.”

B-Meg is looking to end its own slide after losing the last two games while the Clickers almost got over the hump with their 94-90 overtime defeat against the Gin Kings.

“We’re certainly disappointed with our record. But we’re not discouraged with our play,” said Cone. “Our focus is to climb back to .500 and go from there. Playing well against Shopinas will get us back on track.”

Meanwhile, fiery shooting guard Gary David fired 42 points to carry Powerade past Petron Blaze Boosters last Sunday, 108-94, and earn the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Oct. 24 to 30.