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By Joel Orellana Reporter
ALL Alaska needed was a sizzling
start and a solid defensive game plan in dealing Welcoat Paints a
99-78 thumping Wednesday night for its third win in the Talk ’N
Text-Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference at the
Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces started the game with a
9-2 run and never relinquished the lead until the final buzzer for
the convincing win to bounce back from a 113-124 overtime loss at
the hands of Red Bull in their previous game.
Rossell Ellis made the lives of
Welcoat shooters miserable the whole game with his hustle as he
anchored Alaska’s defensive plays and handed the Dragons their
third loss in four games.
Ellis, who suffered cramps
against the Bulls, led the Aces’ balanced attack with 18 points to
go along with seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and a number
of alterations of the opponent’s attempts.
“When Ellis is in your team,
you won’t suffer any letdown. After our loss to Red Bull, he
pushed the players to the limit and told them to play and play. It
showed tonight,” said Alaska head coach Tim Cone.
“We’re really disappointed
with our defensive effort against Red Bull. Tonight, we did a good
effort on both sides,” Cone added.
Sonny Thoss added 16 markers
while Reynel Hugnatan, John Ferriols and Jeffrey Cariaso each had 10
points for the Uytengsu franchise.
Charles Clark led all scorers
with 29 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field but Jay-R Reyes
was the lone local in double figures for Welcoat with 18.
The Aces held the Dragons to just
33 points in the first half on 30-percent shooting while Cone’s
wards shot 61 percent (24-of-39) en route to a 54-point halftime
performance.
Their defensive tenacity was even
more unforgiving after the break as they took their biggest lead at
22 points, 68-46, with less than three minutes remaining in the
third period.
Welcoat never had the chance to
come closer as the team struggled with its perimeter shots
particularly in the three-point area where the Dragons sank only one
triple in 13 attempts the whole game.
“I think we’re a team of
stoppers. Roe [Ellis] is a stopper, Nic [Belasco] is a stopper, Jeff
is a stopper, Sonny is a stopper Rey is a stopper and even Eddie [Laure]
is a stopper. We can be a good defensive team in this league,”
said Cone.
The scores:
Alaska 99–Ellis 18, Thoss 16,
Hugnatan 10, Ferriols 10, Cariaso 10, Laure 9, Miller 9, Belasco 8,
Singson 7, Bajar 2, Luanzon 0, Aban 0.
Welcoat 78–Clark 29, Reyes 18,
Compton 8, Ibanes 5, Cabatu 5, Gelig 4, Lopez 4, Sta. Maria 3,
Wainwright 2, Baguion 0, Lao 0.
Quarters: 30-19, 54-33, 75-55,
99-78.
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