Unless coach Alex Compton finds a way to solve the three-guard offensive thrown at him by rival mentor Chito Victolero, there’s no stopping Magnolia from driving Alaska closer to oblivion in their best-of-seven series for the PBA season-ending Governors’ Cup championship.
With backcourt aces Jio Jalalon, Mark Barroca and Paul Lee striking hardest, the Hotshots had opened a 2-0 lead over the Aces in their quest for a first title since completing a Grand Slam in the 2013-2014 season while competing as San Mig Coffee under coach Tim Cone.
Magnolia, the tournament’s top defensive team, led all the way in taking Game 1, 104-86, then repeated with a 77-71 decision in a game Alaska controlled until the last quarter when the Aces could score only six points.
Alaska actually rallied from 21 points down in the first game before Barroca, Lee and Jalalon combined in a nine-point splurge that ended the threat.
In Game 2, the Aces were clinging to a 71-70 lead when Jalalon unloaded five straight points in the dying minutes before Rafi Reavis capped the big Magnolia comeback with a fastbreak dunk.
With Justin Melton and PJ Simon as backups, Victolero’s three-guard rotation has forced the Aces to struggle on both ends of the court while outshining Alaska’s backcourt mainstays Chris Banchero, JVee Casio and Simon Enciso.
Compton acknowledged Magnolia’s tough defense but noted the Hotshots also got away with a lot of hacking and tripping fouls. He also rued the 26 turnovers in Game 2 of the Aces, who are seeking to end a slump in five Finals.
The Aces also missed the hot shooting of import Mike Harris and super sub Vic Manuel. The top contender for Best Import with a 30.3 shooting average, Harris has made just 20 and 22 points in the Finals so far while his counterpart Romeo Travis did 29 and 24. And Manuel, a reliable shooter off the bench, has contributed only 6 and 10 as he tries to recover from a minor illness during the 17-day break.
Victolero, who lost to coach Leo Austria and the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Cup finals last April, said he is still taking every game against the Aces as do-or-die even as Compton vowed to keep on going because “the series is far from over.”
(Alaska won Sunday’s Game 3, 100-71, to trim Magnolia’s advantage to 2-1.)