North overhauls South in All-Star Game

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines  – The North Stars joined the league in paying tribute to Jimmy Alapag in retirement rites at the half, then stole the show in the next, scoring a come-from-behind 166-161 victory over the South side in the well-attended 26th PBA All-Star Game at the City Coliseum here last night.

Globalport guard Terrence Romeo, a possible heir apparent to Alapag, came through with 30 points, including a crucial four-point binge at endgame that sealed their victory in the highest scoring All Star ever and watched and cheered by an overflowing crowd.

The former FEU stalwart later matched one of Alapag’s achievements in winning the All-Star MVP award in his sophomore year in the pros. Alapag, as a PBA sophomore, shared the MVP award with Asi Taulava in 2004.

Romeo stood tall with his 12-of-23 field shooting, two nights after sizzling with 48 points in the Rookies-Sophomores Game. He earned P60,000 for his All-Star MVP feat in the game replete with highlight jams and three-pointers.

Calvin Abueva, Japeth Aguilar, Arwind Santos and Marc Pingris also came through with productive performances for the North team that overcame 17-point deficits in the first half and thus extended their streak in the annual mid-season spectacle.

The North team also triumphed in the previous All-Star Game here in 2010 and in the next edition of the game over in Boracay.

Abueva led all scorers with 37 points, while Aguilar, Santos and Pingris put in at least 19 points each in the match that established several new all-time All-Star event records.

All scores at the end of all quarters broke the old marks.

Alapag set a new mark in his farewell game with 17 assists, surpassing the old record of 16 he himself made in 2006 in Cagayan de Oro.

With all his teammates eager to give Alapag a ride to remember, the South team seized the early initiative, leading by 17 points at 72-55 and 74-57.

But the North team won’t just give way to the Alapag party, cranking up in the fourth quarter to steal the game.

Down by 10, 125-135, at the start of the last period, the North team unleashed a mighty 20-4 run to surge ahead at 145-139 and they hung tough all the way to the finish.

  On top of his 17 assists, Alapag also got away with 12 points and five rebounds. The main recipient of Alapag’s dish-outs in the fourth quarter, PJ Simon top scored for the South with 24 points.

With a scorching 15-of-33 three-pointers, the South Stars took command in the first half at 88-81 lead.

Alapag fired two straight treys coming off the bench in the first quarter and almost all his teammates also struck from afar, negating the 48-point combined production of Abueva, Aguilar and Santos mostly inside the paint in the first 24 minutes of the contest.

Slaughter topscored for the South in the first half with 13 points on jarring jams and one three-point bomb.

Simon, Jeff Chan, Stanley Pringle, Joe Devance and Mark Barroca connected with at least two treys each while the whole North squad could hit just two of 14 attempts from beyond the arc.

At the half, the PBA paid tribute to Alapag as he officially ended his fabled career.  

“Thank you for elevating the play in the PBA. Thank you for your integrity as a player. Thank you for your leadership. And on behalf of all the PBA fans and all Filipino fans all over the world, thank you for lifting our hearts and spirit and for giving us pride, integrity and honor,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud.