ACES, BATANG PIER MIX IT UP

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In terms of head-on matches, Alaska is a team against which GlobalPort has had a near even mark.

The Aces, the league’s second winningest ballclub, are barely up against the Batang Pier, 5-4.

But with injuries to at least two key Alaska players, the Batang Pier are excited about their chances against the Aces as they square off Tuesday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Calvin Warner has flown in to reinforce GlobalPort and he has been measured to be a tad short of 6-5. But the Batang Pier will continue to use CJ Leslie as they try to check their two-game skid versus the Aces at 7 p.m.

Warner is a former Jacksonville Dolphin in the US NCAA who is fresh from a stint in the Lebanon league where he averaged 17.1 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists for Moutahed Tripoli.

He’s a veteran international campaigner also with tours of duty in Jordan, Iran, Kuwait, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Korea and Bahrain.

For the Aces, Sonny Thoss, Jvee Casio and Vic Manuel are doubtful starters.

With a complete lineup, the Aces barely beat the Batang Pier, 87-84, in the recent Philippine Cup.

“Alaska is Alaska but we’ll take whatever chances we have against them. Laban lang,” said GlobalPort coach Eric Gonzales.

The Batang Pier won their initial game in the mid-season tourney versus the Kia Carnival and put up decent losing stands against the Purefoods Star Hotshots and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

RoS coach Yeng Guiao was impressed.

“GlobalPort played a real good game, and it was difficult to put them away,” said Guiao.

“At times, I thought we would win with some comfort but they kept coming back. Until their final possession, they were trying to win,” Guiao also said. “That’s a team trying to mature and starting to learn how to cope with adversity. They forced us to struggle.”

Rick Jackson and Jeff Chan fuelled Rain or Shine’s third breakaway then Paul Lee took over to buck the Terrence Romeo-led GlobalPort endgame siege as the Elasto Painters thwarted the Batang Pier, 104-98.

Lee banged away a three-pointer and nailed 6-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter as he held his own in a fiery shootout with Romeo. The 2012 Rookie of the Year awardee fired five treys and went 10-of-10 from the stripe in all as against Romeo’s six triples and a total of 29 markers in an explosive backcourt matchup that highlighted an exciting faceoff between the two teams.

“That’s one-upmanship between two excellent guards. It’s a rivalry that I think is going to be interesting in this league,” said Guiao of the Lee-Romeo matchup.

“None of those guys are going to back down. It’s a matchup that’s going to be a treat for the fans for as long it doesn’t get nasty,” Guiao also said.

Romeo is tipped to cause Alaska some problems.

An added concern for Alaska is if Manuel joins Thoss and Casio on the sideline.

Manuel limped off the court with over three minutes to play as Alaska got into the win-column on a 96-95 nail-biter over NLEX last Saturday. (SB)

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