Harris, Banchero push Aces past Elite for share of top spot

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Mike Harris and Chris Banchero formed a lethal one-two punch to power Alaska past Blackwater, 116-109, in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Harris and Banchero combined for 66 points to help the Aces gain a share of the top spot with Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra at 7-2.

“I really happy to come away with this win. I really respect Blackwater and what they’re doing and I was nervous [about this game],” said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.

But it was Harris and Banchero who gave the Elite a lot to worry about the whole game. Harris hit a four-point play with 16 seconds left to seal the game.

Harris posted 38 points, 19 rebounds and five assists while Banchero hardly missed on his way to 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field on top of four rebounds and three assists.

The Aces also got major contributions JVee Casio, Vic Manuel, Kevin Racal and Ping Exciminiano off the bench.

“I thought JVee Casio was special today. He really got it going in the first half and his leadership was visible out there,” Compton said.

Casio finished with 14 points and seven assists, Manuel added 12 points, Racal chipped in seven points while defending Blackwater import Henry Walker on the other end while Exciminiano, known for his tireless work especially on the defensive end, was a game-high plus-21 despite going scoreless.

Walker led the Elite (6-3) with a triple-double, collecting 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists but had six turnovers, two of which came inside the last two minutes.