IAN COMES UP BIG
Missing out on the Rookie of the Year plum, Ian Sangalang showed he can shine in big games as well.
The second pick in this season’s Draft churned out eight of his 13 points in the fourth, including six in a pivotal 12-2 run to help San Mig Super Coffee silence Rain or Shine’s second half attack and grab a 70-61 advantage with seven minutes to play.
This run gave enough breathing room for San Mig, as the Coffee Mixers coasted to a 78-69 Game 3 victory Saturday in the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup Finals and take a 2-1 series lead.
Sangalang wound up with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, and three rebounds, which just shows that the Kapampangan Golden Stag isn’t afraid to step up under the bright lights of the Finals.
“Sanay na akong naglalaro sa Finals eh. Nasa isip ko na everytime na maglalaro ako, ibibigay ko lang yung best ko para sa team at para sa mga sumusuporta sa amin,” he said.
That could also be the reason for his good games in the championship series, as there were always games where Sangalang would make his presence felt.
He said that all of that could only be attributed to his teammates’ trust on him.
“Meron sigurong dahilan kasi lahat ng teammates ko, very supportive sa akin eh. Lagi nila akong pinupush at sinasabihang ‘Kaya mo yan. Ganyan talaga, pag nagkamali ka, bawi na lang.’ So ako, nabubuhayan ako sa kanila kasi grabe sila sumuporta talaga. Nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila,” Sangalang said.
One more game and the San Mig Coffee squad will forever be etched in the annals of PBA history as being only the fifth team in the league’s 39-year existence to nail the historic Grand Slam.
With this chance of a lifetime looming, Sangalang bared that they are really feeling the heat of the moment, but they’ll just do whatever they can to finally accomplish the goal.
“Kailangan naming mag-focus sa Game 4. Dapat focused kami dun sa game mentally and physically, gawin na namin lahat para sa Game 4,” he said.
“Sa Monday, ibubuhos na namin lahat.” (RL)
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