Chargers hand Aces 4th loss

Until Shell pounded out a 76-71 decision last night, Alaska had not lost four games in a row since the 1998 Governors Cup where the Aces, then known as the Milkmen, struggled minus coach Tim Cone and four key players who were with the RP Centennial Team preparing for the Bangkok Asian Games.

With three of those players — Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa and Bong Hawkins — out of the team for good, Alaska matched that low point in the franchise history last night as the new men in the fold continued to grapple with the team’s system and suffered yet another defeat at the hands of the Shell Turbo Chargers.

Shell pounced on Alaska’s fumbling game and bounced back from a sorry loss to Pop Cola the last time out, improving its stock in the upper half of the PBA All-Filipino Cup leaderboard to the delight of its supporters at the Ynares Sports Center.

The Turbo Chargers got a big lift from Rob Wainwright and Dale Singson with ace player Benjie Paras still in sickbay as they notched their fourth win in six games while dealing the Aces their fourth straight defeat following a opening-game victory over the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

Wainwright scored a career-high 25 points that went with seven rebounds and one assist while Singson added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

"Coach Tim Cone has got talented, young players in his team. But it’s obvious that they have yet to blend with one another. Once they get their act together, Alaska will be a tough team to beat again," said Shell coach Perry Ronquillo of the Aces.

While the team was already groping for form, what made it worse for the Aces was the struggling performance of main man Kenneth Duremdes. The one-time MVP awardee bled for points, going 5-of-15 from the field and accounting for eight of the team’s 19 turnovers.

Wainwright, the former MBA star who’s in his sophomore year in the league, outplayed Duremdes in their matchup although teammates Mike Hrabak, Gerry Esplana and Singson seized the spotlight in the fourth quarter, delivering the coup de grace in their victory.

The Turbo Chargers squandered a 15-point margin in the first quarter but picked up their game again late in the third quarter and hang tough the rest of the way.

"We started strong but somehow lost stamina. We had a great recovery, raising up intensity when needed most," said Ronquillo.

Ronquillo blamed himself for their collapse in the second quarter, saying he became confident he took out his key players at the same time in the period. He said: "That’s my mistake. The excitement got the better of me."

Curiously, the Aces held their ground off the boards, 41-39, while matching the 44-percent field-goal shooting of the Turbo Chargers.