Player of the Week: Aldrech Ramos’ big game pays off
Underrated forward Aldrech Ramos moved out of the shadows of his much-heralded teammate Nino “KG” Canaleta after putting on a shooting clinic last week against powerhouse Alaska.
Scoreless in the first half, the 6-foot-5 Ramos caught fire in the last two quarters, pouring all 25 of his points on a red-hot 11-of-15 shooting to lead Mahindra to a shock 102-94 win against Alaska.
The Enforcers stretch-four was at his absolute best in the final period after knocking down 16 points to quell the Aces’ endgame rally, securing Mahindra’s fourth win in eight starts.
Ramos, a former Smart-Gilas backup big man, also hauled down seven rebounds and added one assist to earn his first Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of March 22-27.
The fifth overall of Barako Bull in the 2012 PBA Rookie Draft bested notable PBA stars like Jayson Castro of Tropang TNT, NLEX ageless slotman Asi Taulava and San Miguel’s sweet-shooting guard Marcio Lassiter for the weekly citation.
“Sabi ni coach na laruin ko lang yung game ko,” said the soft-spoken Mahindra forward, who was one point shy of tying his season-high 26 points, which he registered on February 20 in a 102-96 win against San Miguel Beer early in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Si coach naman marunong mag-mix up ng minutes ng players. Eh natiyempuhan lang na maganda game ko kaya nag-stay ako ng matagal,” he added.
Mahindra, currently at joint fifth place with three other teams, shoots for its fifth win and inch closer to the franchise’s first-ever playoff berth when it clashes with league-leader Meralco on Sunday. (RD)
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