BY NOLI CORTEZ

STA. Lucia Realty’s miracle run goes on.

Hardly given a second look during the preseason, the Realtors are now certain to make heads turn after beating Alaska 92-84 last night to advance to the finals of the Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rookie Ryan Reyes bucked gimpy knees to come out with his best game in the semifinals, scoring a game-high 21 points and spearheading a determined collective defensive effort by the Realtors.

Kelly Williams added 19 points and 15 rebounds, Nelbert Omolon 17 and 12 and veteran team captain Dennis Espino 17 and seven as Sta. Lucia wrapped up the best-of-seven series four games to three and advance to its first All-Filipino championship series.

"The credit must go to my guys. Everybody stepped up," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez, who has never won a championship as a player but is now in his first PBA Finals in only his second conference as coach.

Purefoods and Red Bull are playing at presstime in their own do-or-die game for the last slot in the best-of-seven titular showdown that starts Friday, but Fernandez refused to say which team he prefers to meet.

"We must prepare ourselves on whoever we’re gonna play," he said. "Purefoods and Red Bull are very strong teams, very well coached. We just have to be prepared."

Espino, along with Marlo Aquino and Paolo Mendoza the only remaining members of Sta. Lucia’s first and only championship team in the 2001 Commissioner’s Cup, just wants to relish the moment first.

"Ang unang hangarin namin makapasok sa top five, tapos sinuwerte napunta sa semis," said the 34-year-old. "Ngayon sinu-werte ulit nasa finals na. Ibang level na naman ito."

Alaska coach Tim Cone took his hat off to Sta. Lucia and Fernandez, but not after describing the game as "ugly basketball" due to what he termed as the worst officiating he has ever seen in a sudden death game.

"You got to give Sta. Lucia credit. They really took advantage of the rules. They were pulling and grabbing and we just couldn’t run our offense," Cone said. "Frankly, it was the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen in a Game 7."

The fact the Realtors unloaded a fiery first half on his team, led by as many as 20 points twice in the third quarter and then staved off the Aces’ rallies down the stretch was not lost on Cone, however.