Scrappy Aces topple Elite, notch No. 2

MANILA, Philippines - For the Alaska Milk Aces, losing their first two imports appeared to be a blessing in disguise.

With just one practice session with Cory Jefferson before their first game, the Aces got to a roaring 2-0 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, notching a second win on a 109-95 drubbing of the Blackwater Elite last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Yes, it’s turning out to be a blessing. It might,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton following another relative easy victory coming after their 107-79 rout of the GlobalPort Batang Pier Saturday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“Cory is a great fit for us. He’s not a ball hog. He’s a team player. He knows he can’t win it for us by him alone. And we appreciate his character. We like him a lot,” said Compton of their import sub to Octavius Ellis who rushed home a few days before the start of the tourney to attend to personal matters.

Alaska had come to terms earlier with original prospect Malcolm Thomas but the player begged off from coming in the last minute.

But Alaska seems to have found a better import in Jefferson, a former Brooklyn Net and Phoenix Sun who blended well with the Aces right away, producing 28 points and 14 rebounds in their first win then 28 markers and 15 boards in the second one.

“He’s not going to be perfect all the time. But we don’t believe we need an import to win a championship. We need everybody to play. And everybody should embrace that thought,” said Compton.

As in their previous game, the Aces put up a solid game together, leading by as many as 21 in a dominant win versus the Elite whom they dealt a second straight loss in the mid-season tourney.

Rookie Carl Bryan Cruz, Ping Exciminiano, Kevin Racal and Sonny Thoss contributed double-digit outputs while Calvin Abueva chipped in nine markers, four rebounds, three assists and one steal for the Aces who are off to a winning start despite injuries to Vic Manuel and Dondon Hontiveros.

Blackwater actually mounted a rally early in the fourth but import Greg Smith took his sixth and final foul. He finished with 16 rebounds, 14 points and six assists.        

The Star Hotshots stretched their domination of the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the season, making it four-of-four with a 101-82 rout later in the night.

Tony Mitchell collected 24 points and 26 rebounds in his PBA debut, helping the Hotshots get past the team they swept in three matches in the Philippine Cup.

Star trounced Phoenix by a whopping combined margin of 95 points last conference.

The scores:

First Game

ALASKA 109 – Jefferson 28, Cruz 15, Exciminiano 13, Racal 12, Thoss 10, Abueva 9, Galliguez 7, Pascual 5, Banchero 4, Mendoza 4, Enciso 2.

BLACKWATER 95 – Cervantes 21, Smith 14, Sumang 13, Buenafe 11, Belo 9, Digregorio 8, Ababou 4, Sena 4, Pascual 4, Aguilar 3, Gamalinda 2, Miranda 2, Pinto 0.

Quarterscores: 27-23, 52-43, 80-68, 109-95

Second Game

STAR 101 – Mitchell 24, Barroca 17, Maliksi 16, Simon 10, Sangalang 10, Ramos 9, Melton 7, Jalalon 4, Lee 2, Reavis 0, Brondial 0. 

PHOENIX 82 – McKay 34, Intal 13, J. Wilson 10, Borboran 7, Jazul 6, Baguio 4, Dehesa 4, Lanete 2, W. Wilson 2, Kramer 0, Alolino 0, Torres 0.

Quarterscores: 30-22, 46-43, 75-67, 101-82