Aces, Fuel Masters shoot for win No. 2
Alaska and Phoenix seek for second wins as they clash with separate foes tonight in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 43 Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
After beating their respective rivals in their opening game, the Aces (1-0) battle TNT KaTropa (1-2) in the first game at 4:30 p.m. and the Fuel Masters meet Northport in the 6:45 p.m.
Alaska, fresh from toppling Meralco (80-72), aims for another victory when it faces a struggling TNT squad. But coach Alex Compton of Alaska expects the crew of coach Nash Racela headed by import Stacy Davis to bounce back from a tough 98-104 loss to Blackwater last Friday.
Alaska import Mike Harris (52) goes for a jumper against Allen Durham of Meralco during the PBA Season 43 Governors’ Cup game last Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO
“Good teams sometimes have bad games too. It happens to everyone, but they (TNT) are incredibly dangerous and the PBA knows that,” said Compton, who will be relying anew on import Mike Harris who debuted with 23 points and 15 rebounds last Friday.
“You haven’t seen the best of him,” added Compton of the former National Basketball Association player.
The KaTropa, on the other hand, are hoping to get back on track with Davis, who scored 23 points and 16 rebounds in his debut game, raring to double his effort against the Aces.
“Jayson (Castro), Terrence (Romeo), (Roger) Pogoy and Jericho Cruz are all guys who can create their own shots at anytime. Add in Gilas veterans Troy Rosario, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes and we have one heck of a team to deal with on Sunday. We have to be exceptional defensively if we want to win this game,” explained Compton.
Phoenix, meanwhile, eyes back-to-back wins after outlasting Columbian Dyip (113-107) in its opening game behind the 50 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocks of hulking import Eugene Phelps.
“We must eliminate complacency and avoid committing turnovers,” Fuel Masters head coach Louie Alas, who will also bank on the energetic Calvin Abueva, a former Alaska player, who debuted with 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a victory over Columbian Dyip. JOSEF T. RAMOS
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