Ron Riley stepped up as the embattled Dobbins rode the bench three-fourth of the way and made the decisive moves against RP Selecta, powering the Aces to a second straight win following a 68-63 victory over the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Saturday in Malolos, Bulacan.
RP Selecta blew a 31-23 halftime lead and eventually lost steam but Alaska coach Tim Cone was still all praises for the national hopefuls after the game.
"I’m really, truly impressed with what they have accomplished so far. At the same stage of preparation compared with my Centennial team, they’re years ahead in terms of discipline, unselfishness and chemistry," said Cone.
"We all know that they have long way to go but if they can keep what they’re doing now, they can really make a statement," added Cone. "Jong (Uichico) deserves a huge pat on the back."
RP Selecta indeed showed marked improvement in its game from its initial outing in the tournament against San Miguel last week. The aspirants worked on a constant motion offense only to run out of gas with only nine players in harness.
Eric Menk, Chris Clay, Jeffrey Flowers, Ali Peek and Kenneth Duremdes sat out the game. Fil-Am Jimmy Alapag joined the shoot-around but also skipped the game since he has yet to get his Department of Justice clearance.