Banchero, Manuel lead the way as Aces hold off Elite

Chris Banchero and Vic Manuel had 16 points apiece as the Alaska Aces did enough to contain the Blackwater Elite in the endgame, 88-84, on Saturday.

Down seven heading into the final three minutes, Mac Belo and Mike Digregorio rung back to back triples to make it a one-point game, 81-80, forcing Alaska head coach Alex Compton to call a timeout.

Chris Banchero then earned a trip to the line where he netted two points, while Jeron Teng followed it up with a triple to stretch the lead to six with 1:05 to go, 86-80.

Belo wouldn’t let up for the Elite, taking two from the line to try to keep it close, but his and Alex Mallari’s attempts from beyond the arc failed to fall, giving Alaska the victory.

Kevin Racal added 14 points for the Aces, while Jeron Teng scored four of his 10 points in the crucial stretch at the end of the game to lift his team.

Mike Digregorio and Mac Belo were steady as starters for the Elite, hitting 15 points each while combining for 12 boards and five assists. Pos Erram rounded up the starters in double figures with 14, while Allen Maliksi and Roi Sumang tallied 10 each as reserves. — DVM, GMA News