The Beast leads Alaska to first semis stint in post-Cone era

MANILA, Philippines -- Alaska Milk gained its first semifinals stint in its post-Tim Cone era as it manhandled Meralco from the opening tip and breezed to an 88-70 victory to advance to the PBA Philippine Cup Final Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Calvin Abueva, limited to playing just 15 minutes due to fouls Wednesday, returned focused on the task at hand and helped set the tone of game early as the Aces completed a two-game sweep of the Bolts in the quarterfinals and moved to the next round versus back-to-back defending all-Filipino champion Talk n Text.

It’s a best-of-seven semifinal series beginning 6:45 p.m. Thursday at the MOA Arena in Pasay.

On a hot run from the closing part of the elimination round, the Aces pummeled the Bolts with a 22-7 opening attack and dominated the game all the way to the finish.

“I didn’t expect it to be like this. It’s a dream come true,” said Luigi Trillo, who on his second conference as Alaska head coach, steered the team to its first semis since its 2010 Fiesta Conference title conquest under Cone.

“Not taking anything from the effort of my team, we had some luck with Meralco being a tired team, Sol Mercado playing injured and Calvin (Abueva) fresh after playing only a few minutes Wednesday,” said Trillo.

“We took advantage of our opportunities and everything came together,” Trillo added.

Abueva shied away from getting into foul-trouble situation early and led the team with 18 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal in a solid 33-minute game.

“I played very bad in the first game as I lost my focus and I just made sure to make up tonight,” said Abueva.

Cyrus Baguio and Jayvee Casio were their usual steady selves and the rest of the team provided help as the Aces arranged a first playoff series with the Tropang Texters after their semis duel in the 2010 Fiesta Conference. Alaska won that showdown with Diamon Simpson as import.

“Even before the start of the season, our target is to make all the way to the finals and be a champion. It’s tough playing Talk n Text but I think we’ll have our chance,” said Baguio.

“One thing for sure is it’s gonna be tough. They have the experience in terms of always being there. We have our hands full obviously as Talk n Text is a more solid team,” said Trillo.

“But I think this series (against Meralco) prepared us for Talk n Text. They’re both playing drive-and-kick basketball. Coach Norman (Black) has set plays but they still love to run,” Trillo added.

The Aces outran and outgunned the Bolts, leading by as many as 18 points at 86-68 and 88-70.

“Meralco is really tired. They played three games in five days,” said Trillo whose troops led from start to finish in disposing off the Bolts.