BY NOLI CORTEZ
HAVING two relatively less heralded players leading an ambush against his tested
team was something Alaska coach Tim Cone cannot fathom.
That’s exactly what almost happened last Sunday, leaving the
usually amiable mentor shaken despite the fact the Aces got away with an 85-84
escape against the San Miguel Beermen in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the
Astrodome.
"If I had a gun I would have shot (Bonbon) Custodio, the
son-of-a-gun," Cone blurted out during the post-game interview, using a
light-hearted jab in trying to hide his frayed nerves on the heels of the
intense game.
Of course, he was referring to the SMB rookie who helped
spearhead the Beermen’s blistering start, but he might as well also have had
sophomore Jonas Villanueva in his crosshairs.
The two guards combined for 12 of the Beermen’s first 16
points before Custodio and Danny Seigle extended San Miguel’s lead to as many as
19 points.
"We were really shell-shocked when Custodio and Villanueva
came out and hit those shots in the (early goings)," Cone added, obviously
having regained his bearings.
"At the end of the first and start of the second (quarter) it
looked like we got smacked around," he said. "We didn’t anticipate that and I’m
not sure even San Miguel anticipated that, all that great shooting from those
guys."
But the Aces did recover, cutting the deficit to just 39-48
at the half and to an even manageable 59-63 going into the last 12 minutes of
play.
"We played very passive and careful at the beginning and I
think we lost a bit of our energy level at that point," Cone explained. "Then we
made a good fight back at the end of the second (quarter) that gave us the
momentum coming into the third."
The Aces finally took the lead at 65-63 on back-to-back
three-pointers by Jeffrey Cariaso and Larry Fonacier to start the final canto.
"We got the lead and did a pretty good job holding on to it,
making the extra passes, hitting those big shots and getting those rebounds,"
noted Cone.
Two-time MVP Willie Miller had a game-high 17 points but
almost became the goat when he failed to buy a basket in the final minute,
missing two triple tries and a drive. But he came up with a crucial loose ball
recovery off two charity misses by Cariaso near the end to help seal the deal.
Center Sonny Thoss, desperately fouled by an SMB defender
with five-tenths of a second left, missed the front end of his charities and
deliberately bungled his second shot for the final count.
"I told my team we’ve got to be the No. 1 free throw shooting
in the league this year. I don’t think that’s gonna happen," said Cone, noting
his team finished with a 6-of-13 shooting from the stripe.
The loss should rankle at SMB more.
The Beermen seemed sure on their way to living up to their
ranking as among the pre-season favorites but couldn’t make the plays that
mattered most in the end.
Custodio finished with a team-high 14 points on 7-of-9
shooting from the two-point area, with Dorian Pena adding 13 points and Dondon
Hontiveros 11.
Villanueva had all of his 10 points in the first quarter,
where he went 2-of-2 from three-point land, 1-of-1 from the two-point zone and
2-of-2 from the stripe. He preserved that perfect stint by not attempting a
basket the rest of the way.
Jay Washington, acquired from Talk N Text for SMB’s third
overall draft pick rights, only had three points but did have eight rebounds and
two steals.
More modest was the output of last year’s top overall pick,
Joe Devance, who only had two points and four rebounds.
But Cone maintained the 6-foot-7 forward could only get
better.
"I think he got a little bit of nerves, wanted to do a lot of things and
basically set a lot of expectations on himself today," reasoned Cone.
