Games  Tomorrow: (Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs. Alaska
6:30 p.m. – Petron vs. Ginebra


IN one quarter, Barako Bull turned an interesting game into a blowout.

Willie Miller scored 13 points in the third period, sparking the Energy into pulling away from the Alaska Aces in a 98-78 victory last night at the start of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The two-time MVP had a flawless performance in the third period, shooting 6-of-6 from the field and converting his lone free-throw attempt as Barako Bull transformed a shaky 39-34 halftime advantage into a commanding 72-51 lead entering the final quarter.

So dominating were the Energy in the third period that they shot 56.5 percent from the floor (13-of-23) while holding down the Aces to just 26.1 percent shooting (6-of-23). Barako Bull outscored Alaska, 33-17, in the same stretch.

Miller finished with 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting while import Dermarr Johnson, the former sixth overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, wound up with 19 points and eight rebounds.

“We have a good import but he will only be good if the locals contribute,” said Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi.

Good thing for the Energy, the locals stepped up.

Three other players scored 10 points apiece – Leo Najorda, Ronald Tubid and Don Allado – while Chico Lanete, traded by Meralco for Paul Artadi, dished off six assists.

But while the Energy got off to an impressive start in the league’s second conference, the question whether they could sustain it and win tough games ahead is what needs to be answered.

“It’s very early to tell,” said Baculi. “Maybe Alaska just had a bad night. We were like this also in the last conference and we learned our lesson. No time to celebrate. We’ll take it one game at a time.”

“This is a short tournament, it’s a sprint to the finish.”

The Energy are actually coming off a four-game losing streak in the Philippine Cup. They managed to make it to the playoffs of the season-opening tournament but ended up losing to the twice-to-beat, second-ranked Talk ‘N Text in the quarter-final round.

Playing its second conference without the coach that guided them to 13 championships, the Aces were only in the game in the first half. They even scored the game’s first six points, but never really claimed full control of the contest.

Adam Parada, returning to the PBA after steering Red Bull to a semi-finals stint in the 2008 Fiesta Conference, had 16 points and 15 rebounds for Alaska, which suffered its fifth straight defeat dating back to the Philippine Cup.

Cyrus Baguio added 13 points, Marnel Baracael had 13, and LA Tenorio had eight points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Aces, aiming to step into the playoffs once again after missing it the last tournament.

It was not necessarily the typical Alaska game. The Aces committed 19 errors – seven coming from Tenorio – that led to Barako Bull converting it to 22 points off turnovers.

Overall, Alaska just shot 31-of-84 from the floor (36.9 percent).

Deviating from the 14-game elimination round in the Philippine Cup, the Commissioner’s Cup only calls for a single-round robin affair in the preliminary stage. The four teams with the worst win-loss records will miss the playoffs while the top two teams advance automatically to the semi-final round.


The scores:

Barako Bull (98) -- Miller 25, Johnson 19, Najorda 10, Tubid 10,     Allado 10, Pennisi 9, Salvador 6, Aquino 4, Sorongon 3, Arboleda 2, Gatumbato 0, Lanete 0, andaya 0, Pena 0.

Alaska (78) -- Parada 16, Baguio 13, Baracael 11, Custodio 9, Tenorio 8, Thoss 8, Reyes 5, Salamat 3, Eman 3, Bugia 2, Gelig 0.

Quarterscores: 17-16, 39-34, 72-51, 98-78.