ALASKA may have blown Globalport away in the two teams’ only meeting in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup.
Coach Alex Compton however, is not about to dismiss the Batang Pier, who the top seeded Aces meet in a best-of-seven semifinals duel starting on Monday.
Compton saw for himself how Stanley Pringle, Terrence Romeo, and the rest of the team withstood crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra in overtime, 84-83, in their knockout game for the right to meet the Aces.
And he knows the confidence and motivation the win over the Kings had brought to the Batang Pier heading into Game One of their showdown.
“I think Globalport has proven themselves to be an incredibly dangerous team,” said Compton on New Year’s Eve. “They can score, make tough shots, and have guys who can feed off of the guys who create for them.”
The Aces had not played competitive ball since playing in their final game in the elimination phase against Barako Bull last December 20.
But even during the holidays, the team has stayed sharp as it prepared for Romeo and Co.
“We will really need to be at our best defensively if we want to win this series,” said Compton.