Kings reign as Aces choke

TACLOBAN, Leyte – Barangay Ginebra’s local players outplayed their Alaska Milk counterparts and chalked up the team’s first win in the 2005 Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference with a 74-71 whipping of the Aces in a road game at the Leyte National High School gym here last night.

Mark Caguioa sizzled with 24 points and seven rebounds although it was Rodney Santos who delivered the killer blow on the Aces with a crucial basket in the closing seconds.

It became a virtual all-Filipino duel as Leon Derricks went on foul trouble early and fouled out with over a minute left to play while Edner Elisma limped out of the court early in the final period due to leg cramps.

The Kings outhustled and outmanuevered the Aces at endgame for their first win after ruling the recent Philippine Cup. The grandslam-seeking team of coach Siot Tanquingcen bowed to the Red Bull Barako Thunder in their debut in the season-ending tourney last Sunday.

The Aces went scoreless in a long stretch at the finish and suffered their third loss in as many games.

For a while, it appeared Alaska would finally barge into the win-column as the Aces got off to a strong start and gained an additional boost on the ouster of the cramp-stricken Elisma at the onset of the fourth quarter.

Struggling offensively, Elisma made his presence felt defensively. He made four blocks in the first quarter alone.

With the count tied at 69-all, a free throw by Eric Menk followed by a twinner from Santos decided the outcome of the game.

Meanwhile, Earl Ike finally struts his wares before the local crowd as Talk n Text plays Sta. Lucia Realty today at the Araneta Coliseum, looking for a follow-up on its impressive debut versus Shell in an out-of-the-country tiff in Jakarta, Indonesia exactly a week ago.

Ike had a decent showing in his first game in TnT’s blue-and-yellow jersey, logging 18 rebounds, 10 rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes of action as the Phone Pals fashioned out a come-from-behind 97-88 win over the Turbochargers at the Brittama Sports Mall in the Indonesian capital.

The Phone Pals, losing finalists in the recent Philippine Cup, overcame the Turbochargers despite the absence of injured forward Mark Telan and guard Willie Miller playing limited minutes with a slight injury.

The returning Harvey Carey assumed Telan’s role in the Jakarta game, and the Fil-American forward is re-introducing himself to the local crowd in their 6:35 p.m. tiff with the Realtors today. Carey had missed more than a season of play in the PBA due to a shoulder injury.

But the Phone Pals could be in for a rough sailing versus the Realtors who unveiled a blue-chip import in Raheim Brown in an 85-77 tripping of the Alaska Milk Aces Wednesday.

Brown had a double-double performance and inspired Kenneth Duremdes who erupted for 36 points — the best by any local player in the tournament thus far.

"Mukhang nakakuha na rin kami finally ng maayos na import," said Sta. Lucia coach Alfrancis Chua of Brown, a New Yorker who is a good friend of NBA star Vince Carter.

Incidentally, Talk n Text and San Miguel Beer are the only remaining teams with clean slates in the tourney.

While the Phone Pals seek a second straight win, the Beermen go for a third victory against the Red Bull Barako Thunder in the day’s other game at 4:15 p.m.

The Thunder suffered their first loss in the tournament as they blew a 10-point lead in the third quarter before eventually bowing to the FedEx Express, 104-109, Friday.

The Beermen made it two in a row with an 82-73 rout of the Aces on opening day and an 88-77 tripping of the Coca-Cola Tigers Wednesday.

Danny Seigle and import Chris Burgess formed a deadly two-man wrecking crew for San Miguel in both games.

Seigle averaged 26 points and Burgess normed 17 points and 20 rebounds in those games.