The Alaska Aces finally found a way to beat the team that swept them in the Finals of the last Philippine Cup, edging the Derby Ace Llamados 83-81 Saturday night in a pulse-pounding road game of the PBA Fiesta Conference in Cagayan de Oro City. Willie Miller scored the game winner with sixth-tenths of a second remaining to complete Alaska's come-from-behind win, their second straight in the conference. Miller, the former two-time league most valuable player, finished with 20 points. Diamon Simpson led the Aces with 24 points, the same score registered by his Derby Ace counterpart, Lorrenzo Wade. Two other Aces scored in double figures. Sonny Thoss had 12 while Tony dela Cruz chipped in 10, including back-to-back baskets that tied the game at 81-all with 4.5 seconds remaining. The win enabled Alaska to tie Derby Ace in the standings, both with a 2-2 win-loss card. The Llamados led by as many as 54-64 entering the fourth quarter. But unlike in their four straight wins against Alaska in the Finals of the last conference where they dominated the final quarter of each game, the Llamados fell short this time. Alaska head coach Tim Cone heaved a huge sigh of relief after the game. “It was a great battle for both teams,” he said. Meanwhile, the league's two biggest crowd-drawer, the defending champion San Miguel Beermen and the Barangay Ginebra Kings, will square off in the nightcap of Sunday's Fiesta Cup double-header at the Araneta Coliseum. The first game will see the Air21 Express battling the Sta. Lucia Realtors. Both teams will try to end their three
