ALASKA may have snapped out of a five-month-long dry spell, but coach Alex Compton knows the task is far from done.
"We just got keep working," Compton has said a couple of days after his Aces' 90-79 win over San Miguel Beer last Saturday, a win that came after a 14-game losing skein dating back to the Commissioner's Cup.
Indeed, Alaska remains far from where it wants to be but could gain another step forward when it takes on a GlobalPort side with its own agenda Friday in the PBA Governors Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Batang Pier are out for a win that would enable them to take over eighth-running spot from Blackwater - providing the Elite lose to the heavily-favored Barangay Ginebra Kings later in the evening.
The Aces, on the other hand, are looking to stoke their own chances of making it among the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals following the 11-game eliminations, a position they got in after a 0-6 start in the season-ending tourney.
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Alaska could at least play off for the eighth spot, but only if it wins against GlobalPort, Kia on Sunday, Meralco next Friday and Rain or Shine on Sept. 20.
"We still have a mathematical chance," noted Compton.
What could help Alaska's cause is the continued absence of Stanley Pringle, currently attending to his ailing father back in the US.
Without the combo guard who is averaging 20.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, the Batang Pier dropped a 99-109 decision to NLEX last Sunday.
Still, coach Franz Pumaren believes his charges, led by Murphey Holloway, Terrence Romeo, Mike Cortez and Sean Anthony, can hold the fort.
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Alaska has its own projected absentee in the injured Vic Manuel but Compton's arsenal remains stocked with the likes of LaDontae Henton, Calvin Abueva, Jayvee Casio and Simon Enciso.
