BLACKWATER import Jaylen Bond would not end his PBA stint with a bang. He and Alaska saw to that.
Maverick Ahanmisi notched 17 points and eight rebounds in leading the Aces to a 98-75 win yesterday in what should be Bond’s farewell game for the Bossing in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Four other Alaska players scored in double figures, making up a balanced attack that enabled the Aces to snap a two-game slide and improve its record to 3-2.
Before the match, Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy said they are all set to bring in Shawn Glover to replace Bond if the latter is not able to provide the scoring sock the Bossing sorely need.
Should Bond pick up the offensive slack created by the injuries to Blackwater’s main shooters, then he could make the Bossing re-think their plans.
“Welcome problem,” said coach Ariel Vanguardia.
That’s one concern that has become moot after Bond fared miserably, finishing with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting, five rebounds and three assists in just a little over 23 minutes of action.
Once he has secured his working visa, Glover should be ready to plane in well
ahead of Blackwater’s next game against Magnolia on Jan. 5.
With just Rashawn McCarthy (16 points) and Ed Daquioag (12) finding the bottom of the net, but too far-between at that, there’s no avoiding Blackwater’s fifth loss in the tourney and 24th straight overall.
Alaska’s own import, Olu Ashaolu, was also limited to just 10 points and seven rebounds after being taken out early in the third period.
“He kind of felt something in his lower extremities. I don’t know exactly where or what it is.
I’m hoping he’s just starting to cramp. We’re praying na iyon lang iyon” said Aces coach Jeff Cariaso.
No problem there as Alaska’s locals were more than enough to carry on the task, leading to as much as a 92-66 lead, less than four minutes left in the game.
Cariaso said warning his players about not taking Blackwater for granted also helped.
“Playing a team which is hungry, who is I described as a wounded tiger ready to fight, ready to recover from what they’re going through,” was how Cariaso summed up his pre-game reminder.
