PBA: Aces, Llamados go for jugular vs q'final rivals

Alaska and Derby Ace try to send Barangay Ginebra and Meralco, respectively, to an early Christmas vacation when they go for the clincher in their separate PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal matches Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. The Aces go for the kill in their 5 p.m. encounter with the Kings, whom they nipped, 104-101, in the opener of their short best-of-three series. Seeded as the No. 3 team entering the playoffs, the Kings were obviously hurt by the absence of injured players JayJay Helterbrand and Eric Menk. Helterbrand is nursing a strain at the back of his knee, while Menk has an Achilles strain. Their absence affected the Gin Kings' game, according to Alaska coach Tim Cone. “Obviously, the absence of Jay-Jay and Erik impacted the play of Ginebra and gave us an edge," said Cone. “We’re hoping we can work off the momentum. Needless to say, we want to take care of business now and avoid a deciding Game Three." For the Gin Kings, winning and forcing a do-or-die Game Three is the only thing in their minds right now. “Just take it to a deciding Game Three," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, referring to his squad’s immediate plan. But even without Menk and Helterbrand, the Kings came close to pulling the rug from under the sixth-seeded Aces, only for them to lose steam in the stretch. Joe DeVance proved unstoppable, coming away with a career-high 30 points, with 10 rebounds and five assists in a brilliant all-around performance. A win by Alaska will give the squad a second sweep in three tournaments. The Aces also blanked the league’s crowd darling in the semifinals of this same All-Filipino tournament a year ago, 4-0. The Aces will also have a chance to make it three in a row over the Kings, whom they defeated in the Fiesta Conference, 3-2, in the quarterfinals last season . The winner of the Alaska-Ginebra series will face No. 2 San Miguel in the semis. Reigning champion Derby Ace hopes to do the same against Meralco starting at 7:30 p.m. in the midweek twin bill. Top-seeded Talk ‘N Text awaits the victor of the Llamados-Bolts series. The Llamados moved a step closer to another semis appearance by surviving a gallant Bolts squad now coached by Derby Ace’s former mentor, Ryan Gregorio. Derby Ace won, 106-97. The victory came two days after Meralco played in a similar marathon match. The Bolts outlasted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in triple overtime. Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio believes the Bolts’ immaturity when the going got tough cost the rookie team the game. The Bolts will also need to toughen up defensively against the Llamados’ backcourt, which combined for 91 points, led by the 35 of Peter June Simon. “Their superior playoff experience and endgame poise spelled the difference," said Gregorio. “Their guards must be contained. If we can adjust, we have a legitimate chance of winning the game." - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV