MERALCO got the job done against Rain or Shine last Sunday night even if the Bolts’ import, Akil Mitchell, only saw action for 11 seconds.
For Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, his charges rose to the challenge of playing all-Filipino after Mitchell suffered a nose injury.
“I think Akil broke his nose. We will have him checked,” Trillo said after the Bolts carved out a 121-111 victory over the Painters for their second straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Funny that there was no call made (on the accidental hit on Mitchell) but that kind of motivated the boys and that kind of kept us sharp.
“I’m really proud of the guys, most especially Norbert Torres, whom we traded for from Rain or Shine, and even Jansen (Rios) played well, and Raymond (Almazan) played well. We needed guys to step up and our guys were ready to play right from the start,” he added.
Rain or Shine also played sans reinforcement Deon Thompson due to the absence of a special work permit.
Mitchell promptly left the Ynares Center in Antipolo to have his broken nose examined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan after being accidentally hit in the face by Rain or Shine big man Keith Datu.
Chris Newsome totaled 25 points for Meralco while Bong Quinto chipped in 20 markers.
Rios, Torres, Almazan, and Cliff Hodge also had 16, 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively, as the Bolts rose to 2-0 in a tie with NorthPort and foreign guest team Eastern early in the mid-season tilt.
Trillo said they are ready to bring in another import—either DJ Kennedy or Gilas Pilipinas naturalized cager Ange Kouame—if and when Mitchell would be sidelined, something that Trillo doubts.
“They are both ready. I think DJ is a nice guy to have also. He’s played overseas. He knows the game. He is a different dimension,” he said. “Puwede si Ange. Either one. The good thing is pasalamat kami na we have two players (available).
“Akil will play with one leg. Even if he has a mask, he’ll still play.”
