Alaska playing like the organized team it really is made sure that it wouldn’t lose an endgame battle to TalkN’ Text like it did last Friday and went on to score a 94-83 victory and force a winner-take-all Game 7 at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

Alaska made sure it wouldn’t commit the same mistakes it did last Friday with Cyrus Baguio making sure by pulling off a steal that stopped a rally by the Tropang Texters and then sealing the deal with a basket.

The clutch plays came at just the right time with 1:11 left to play that stopped Talk ‘N Text’s charge to within 83-91 from a 19-point fourth quarter deficit. Alaska’s defense then continued to hold as it bounced back from an 81-82 loss in Game 5 last Friday and set up the do-or-die match in the best-of-seven duel on Wednesday.

Alaska Aces coach Tim Cone conceded “It got a little dangerous out there, but Cyrus’ strip on Jimmy (Alapag) iced it for us. Up until that point, I didn’t really think we were in control of the ballgame.”

Alaska did not relinquish the lead until the last 23 seconds of last Friday’s match and it made sure it would not let another game slip away. The loss spoiled what could have been a joyous occasion for Talk ‘N Text as head coach Chot Reyes was also celebrating his 47th birthday.

Alaska came out and established an 18-point first quarter lead and then stretched that to 87-68, still 6:41 to go and made it clear that any Talk N’ Text celebration would have to wait until Wednesday if indeed there will be something to celebrate.

Reyes appeared calm despite the series being stretched to a sudden death playoff . He said his team now realized the value of winning Game 5 since they could afford dropping Sunday’s game. But what he can hardly bear is the way they blew it. “They basically outhustled us — that’s the worst part of the loss. We got outworked,” he stated. Diamon Simpson wound up with game-highs of 21 points and 18 rebounds to pace the Alaska starters who all finished with at least 11 points and four rebounds each. Tony dela Cruz was inserted into the first five vice Sonny Thoss, who suffered a second degree sprain early in Game 5.

Cone said “Sonny’s out for the series. He has a chipped bone on his left ankle after he landed on (Kelly) Williams’ foot in the fourth minute of the last game. It would have been a minimum of a week with a sprain, but with a chipped bone it’s six weeks.”

Prior to Game six Reyes told us he would have preferred if Thoss played because he figured De La Cruz was energetic and a fine all-around player who could score and play good defense besides being quick.

Cone effectively agreed with Reyes’ observations when he noted “We are quicker without Sonny.We took advantage of our quickness. It’s not something we’ve been doing very much but we did it today.”

The PBA website reported that Jimmy Alapag led Talk ‘N Text with 20 points, but he went scoreless in the second half and his pass was the one Baguio intercepted. For most of the second half the Tropang Texters rode the back of Game 5 hero Jason Castro, who scattered all of his 19 in the last two periods. “We had to change our defense because Jason was hitting shots all over the place,” admitted Cone. Shawn Daniels had 16 points and Williams 11. The two also had 11 boards each for the game that featured several first half altercations between players and officials of the opposing teams.

Joe Devance first had a run-in with Alapag before the Alaska forward got hit from behind by Ranidel De Ocampo, netting the TNT forward a flagrant foul-penalty one call. Even team owner Wilfred Uytengsu and Cone got into the act, engaging Mark Yee in a verbal tussle after the Talk ‘N Text guard gave Larry Fonacier a pre-emptive foul deemed too hard by the Alaska officials. Those sideshows failed to stymie Alaska’s game that quickly recovered its fluidity a few minutes after losing it.

Cone effectively agreed with Reyes’ observations when he noted  “We are quicker without Sonny.We took advantage of our quickness. It’s not something we’ve been doing very much but we did it today.”

Alaska’s most anxious moment came when Castro converted Williams’ interception of an LA Tenorio pass into a fastbreak layup that brought TNT within eight, still 2:19 left. The Tropang Texters had a chance to inch closer, but Baguio swiped Alapag’s own pass and turned it into an easy basket to give the Aces the cushion Cone direly wanted.

What also told on Talk ‘N Text was Macmac Cardona scoring only two points on just 1-of-7 field shooting. After Cardona went scoreless in the first half, Reyes opted for Castro and the latter responded by scoring eight points and leading Talk ‘N Text back. Cardona returned and promptly sank a hook shot, bringing the Tropang Texters within 57-59, 5:34 left in the third. Yet Alaska was equal to the task. Starters LA Tenorio and Baguio drained a triple each, but relievers Reynel Hugnatan and Mark Borboran were mainly responsible for showing the way in the Aces’ surge to a 77-63 spread heading into the final period.

Alapag was at his fieriest during the second period, picking up the cudgels for his team by scattering 15 of his points. Still, Alaska managed to stay ahead due to Simpson, who had 10 points of his own and had more help from Devance and Borboran in powering the Aces to a 54-43 halftime lead. The Tropang Texters dug themselves a deep hole right in the opening quarter when they allowed Alaska 22 points while they scored only two during a four-minute span, translating into a 30-12 bulge by the Aces.

The scores: Alaska 94 – Simpson 21, De Vance 19, Baguio 14, Tenorio 12, Dela Cruz 11, Borboran 8, Hugnatan 8, Fonacier 1.

Talk ‘N Text 83 – Alapag 20, Castro 19, Daniels 16, Williams 11, De Ocampo 7, Dillinger 4, Carey 3, Cardona 2, Yee 1, Aban 0. Quarterscores: 31-17, 54-43, 77-63,

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