PACESETTING ACES SEEK REVENGE ON MIXERS
Amidst another crisis in his personal life, San Mig Coffee main man James Yap gives his assurance he can cope and do his job on the hard court.
In difficult times, Yap goes on with his basketball life, hoping to help solve San Mig Coffee’s up-and-down ride in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Yap is fully aware his team needs him as they take on league-leader Alaska in the 7:30 p.m. game of a rare Saturday twinbill at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coach Tim Cone himself said they have a job cut out for them versus the Aces.
“We’re going through a bit of a struggle at this point and not playing the basketball we expect from ourselves, but we also expect to push through and get ourselves going,” said Cone.
For the Aces, the goal is to stay on top and nail an elusive first win versus their former coach.
Alaska sports a 7-2 win-loss card, with one of its two losses coming at the hands of San Mig Coffee in their previous tiff in the tourney.
Denzel Bowles and his San Mig Coffee teammates pounced on a hot Alaska team that suddenly blew cold, preserving Cone’s perfect record against the Aces on March 6.
Making the biggest damage in the middle quarters, San Mig Coffee bowled over Alaska, 75-68, ending the Aces’ unbeaten run in the mid-season tourney.
Worse, the Aces endured a seventh straight loss in their head-on duels with Cone.
“We need to keep our focus for a full 48 minutes. Last game, we won the first and fourth quarters but lost the second and the third,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.
Trillo felt Alaska and San Mig Coffee have equal chances of winning their Saturday rematch even as they continue to miss the services of their premier playmaker Jayvee Casio.
The Aces split their last two games minus Casio who’s nursing an injured kneecap.
As GlobalPort import Walter Sharpe played only 20 minutes due to silly fouls, the Aces pounded the Batang Pier in the posts to fashion out a 93-85 victory Sunday.
Rob Dozier did the biggest damage on GlobalPort with 26 points and 18 rebounds as against Sharpe’s five boards and two markers as the Aces bounced back from an upset by the Air21 Express Friday. (SB)
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