Jul 13, 2019

Alaska fights for survival in duel vs. Blackwater

ALL of Blackwater's early hard work has already paid off.

The Elite now gun for some welcome bonuses when they duel with a desperate Alaska side at the end of their elimination round campaign Sunday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Blackwater is looking for a seventh win in 11 games that would enable it to latch on to the No. 3 seeding and, more important, brace it for the tougher quarterfinals where it joins early co-qualifiers TNT, NorthPort, Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine and Magnolia Ang Pambansang Manok.

Alaska, currently at eighth-running spot, has a far loftier goal.

Not only do the Aces want to snap out of a four-game slide, they are also looking to notch a fifth win that should be enough for them to gain inclusion among the top eight teams advancing to the next round.

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A loss would relegate Alaska into a tie with Phoenix Pulse and possibly Columbian, Meralco and/or San Miguel Beer.

The 3-7 Dyip are taking on the Kings later in the evening while the 3-7 Bolts and 4-5 Beermen collide at eliminations' end on Wednesday.

Any tie for the eighth and last quarterfinals spot would be resolved by a knockout game. In case of multiple ties for the last two spots, quotients would first decide which team advances outright.

"It's a must-win for us, no way around that," said Alaska coach Alex Compton.

Blackwater, which finished last in the Philippine Cup but raised many eyebrows by winning five of its first six games, is devoid of such problem since a loss could relegate the it into fourth, but would still be in a best-of-three duel in the next round.

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The Elite's biggest concern is to go into the next round with its morale high and on a winning note.

"Very important for us to try and get a win tomorrow," said Blackwater coach Aris Dimaunahan.

"We could keep the third seed entering the playoffs and have that confidence playing in the next phase," added Dimaunahan.

Compton admitted his team's task is cut out for it. "Blackwater is playing really well this conference," he said.

"They are a tremendously talented team and coach Aris has done a great job. Bobby Ray Parks Jr. is playing like a top vet while the rest of their players have fit seamlessly with him. It will be a tremendous challenge for us to stop them, but we have to."(NC)