By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Alaska Aces were very close to solidifying their chances for a PBA Philippine Cup playoff inclusion during their crucial showdown against the San Miguel Beermen.
But Marcio Lassiter had other plans.
The Aces were nursing a 100-98 lead after Abu Tratter sank a go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
San Miguel then called a quick timeout and designed a play that was perfectly executed to find an open Lassiter in the left corner. Lassiter calmly drained the three-pointer that crushed the hearts of the entire Alaska organization as they watched the ball kiss the net for the game-winner.
The Beermen looked to blow the game wide-open early as they ended the first quarter leading 33-19.
However, Rodney Brondial’s scrappy plays provided the spark Alaska needed to help them claw their way back into the game, turning the tide as they outscored SMB 28-10 in the second-quarter.
The next two quarters became a thrilling slugfest as both teams executed their plays and scored well.
Alaska’s resiliency was one of the biggest stories of the game as their offensive rebounding waived off SMB’s chances to balloon the lead in the last five minutes of the ball game.
Though the Aces showed heart in the game, it was the more experienced SMB team who still found the way to win and clinch the fourth spot heading into the playoffs.
CJ Perez top-scored SMB with 20 huge points including six boards and three dimes while Lassiter had 13 points, making 2 out of his 4 attempts from deep.
