Alaska made the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Finals what everyone expected it to be—a series.
After losing out on the series’ first two games, the Aces clawed harder in Game 3 of their best-of-seven championship duel against Magnolia to avoid a huge hole.
Alaska changed the complexion of the series after blowing out the Hotshots, 100-71, in emphatic fashion last Sunday to cut its series deficit to 1-2.
For Aces’ coach Alex Compton, the differences were quite evident in Game 3 as his team showed up showcasing what it lacked in the opening two games.
“I think we showed great defensive effort and amazing shots. The overall story of the game was that we didn’t commit much turnovers and we played defense with great intensity,” said Compton.
Adding insult to Magnolia’s injury, that 29-point drubbing the Aces dished out was the Hotshots’ worst loss in their finals’ history.
While Compton was glad that his team was able to avoid a hopeless 0-3 hole, he knows that there’s no reason to celebrate anything, not when the Aces are still down.
“It’s good to be back in the series, but we’re still down 1-2. We have to keep fighting hard,” said Compton.
