PBA: Alaska's Baguio, B-Megs' Yap are Players of the Week

MANILA, July 20 (PNA)-- Two tough-as-nails competitors from the south willing to do anything and everything to spur their respective team northward.

Such are the laudable traits of B-Meg Derby Ace's Roger Yap and Alaska's Cyrus Baguio displayed the most in the just-concluded Fiesta Conference quarterfinals, which made them the Accel-PBA Press Corps Co-Players of the Week for the period July 12 to 18.

Yap flirted with two triple doubles in helping the Llamados notch back-to-back wins against the gritty Rain or Shine Elasto Painters while Baguio stirred the Aces against the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the game that mattered most last Sunday, breaking innumerable hearts in the process.

Those sterling performances enabled Derby Ace and Alaska to wrap up their respective series, 3-2, and advance into the semifinals against San Miguel Beer and Talk N Text, respectively.

The 105-100 clincher also enabled the Llamados to let go of their long pent-up collective sigh of relief as they had stared at a 1-2 series deficit that mainly James Yap, new import Tony Washam, Rico Maierhofer and, of course, Roger Yap powered them from, starting with a 92-78 rout in Game 4 last Friday.

"Roger brings toughness on defense and stability on our offense," said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio of his Cebu City-born guard who averaged 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a block in their last two games.

"He knows what to do in pressure-packed situations and he somehow has the uncanny ability to elevate his performance when the game is on the line," Gregorio added.

"He is a competitor who never backs down from challenges. His high-level of play in Games 4 and 5 contributed magnificently in our come-from-behind win against Rain or Shine."

The Iligan-born Baguio could not be left out of the scribes' citation after averaging 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games against Ginebra, including 22 points and the game-winning swipe in a 93-91 victory in the decider.

"It's very special to watch a young man come in and seize the opportunity the way he has done here at Alaska," said coach Tim Cone of Baguio, acquired by the Aces in a late-April trade for Willie Miller.

"He's had no fear from the first day he has arrived," Cone added. "He has carried that into the playoffs and his attitude has rubbed off on his teammates."

Baguio highlighted that spirit with 16 of his output in the second half last Sunday before some predominantly pro-Ginebra crowd of more than 21,000, capping his brilliance with a last-second steal against Eric Menk that sealed it.

The Tropang Texters topped the eliminations and beat the Aces both times in their first two meetings, while the Beermen grabbed the other automatic semis slot by tripping the Llamados, 88-83, in a July 2 play off.

But the coming best-of-seven duels are another matter entirely and there is little doubt about the tremendous morale-boost the Aces and Llamados gained after surviving the hoary quarterfinals. (PNA)