Returning LA fuels Alaska's surge to semis

MANILA, Philippines - Fully recovered from an elbow injury, LA Tenorio is at it again, directing Alaska’s plays and leading the Aces to another semifinal stint in the PBA Governors Cup.

“No doubt, LA is our leader on the floor,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone of his ace playmaker who keyed Alaska’s back-to-back wins for a berth in the semis of the league’s season-ending conference.

Tenorio normed 18.5 points, six rebounds and three assists in victories over Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra to likewise gain the Accel-PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week honors for the period July 11-17.

Those numbers are marked improvements to Tenorio’s first six games in the tourney when he averaged 11 points and 4.3 rebounds.

“It’s really a big factor that I’ve recovered from my injury,” said Tenorio.

He also credited new acquisitions Jayr Reyes, Wesley Gonzales, Hans Thiele and Aris Dimaunahan, who have fully incorporated themselves into the Alaska system.

“I think our team is starting to understand the system. In the first few games, we’re a bit inconsistent since we’re still trying to gel. Now, we’ve found the rhythm and hopefully we can sustain it,” Tenorio said.

Tenorio notched 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in a win over Powerade then came through with a 22-point, eight-rebound performance against Rain or Shine last Wednesday.

He highlighted his exploits against the ROS with two clutch triples in the last 63 seconds of the third period that broke Alaska away from a four-point game and into a 88-83 triumph.

Import Jason Forte posted his first 20-20 game with 24 points and 20 rebounds in a scary 83-79 victory against Ginebra last Saturday but Tenorio was not too far behind, finishing with 15 points.

Those victories gave the Aces a 5-3 win-loss record they will carry over into the six-team, single round semis, where Cone expects Tenorio to continue inspiring his teammates.

“He won’t be intimidated by anybody or any situation and that attitude rubs off on his teammates, which, in turn, makes us strong mentally. His presence gives us a chance to be an elite team in the PBA,” said Cone.