MR. EVERYWHERE STARS IN SAN MIG COFFEE WIN
If Marqus Blakely was Mr. Everything for San Mig Coffee in its Governors’ Cup title run, James Mays is Mr. Everywhere in the Super Coffee Mixers’ campaign now.
The compliment came from coach Tim Cone as Mays finally showcased what he can do with the highly touted import powering the Mixers past Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 90-80, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.
Putting in just enough effort in his PBA debut against GlobalPort, Mays raised the level of his game as he needed to against Ginebra, piling up 29 points and the same number of rebounds to lead the Mixers to a second straight win in the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“He’s just everywhere. His motor is really high. He’s a tall Rudy Hatfield who gets the loose ball and the loose rebounds,” said Cone of his prized find.
“We didn’t see that in his first game, but we saw that tonight. He’s a real key in our win,” Cone added. “We can really be a contender this conference with him.”
The key local San Mig players also did their job as the team kept the upper hand in their personal duel with Barangay Ginebra.
Winner over Ginebra in the deciding Game Seven of their Philippine Cup Final Four faceoff, the Mixers dealt the Kings another heart-breaker, handing the latter a second loss in three starts in the mid-season tourney.
“It’s a real luxury having guys like Ping (Marc Pingris), Rafi (Reavis) and Alex (Mallari) who are tall, lanky defenders. Once one gets into foul trouble, we have others who can come in and be versatile,” said Cone.
“James was a monster off the boards while Ping was a monster in hustles,” Cone added.
Mays and company did all these every step of the way, outlasting Leon Rodgers and his Ginebra teammates in a gripping battle marked by 15 deadlocks and 10 lead changes.
Mays, Ian Sangalang, Justin Melton and Reavis teamed up in a decisive assault in the fourth quarter that opened an 89-78 lead for the Mixers.
The Kings failed to recover from there.
Ginebra actually came out stronger, enjoying a seven-point lead once in the first half.
The Mixers, however, hung on, fighting the Kings tooth and nail before seizing control down the stretch.
Rodgers paced the losing team with 35 points and 14 rebounds with Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio adding 12 and 11 markers, respectively. (SB)
The scores:
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 90 – Mays 29, Yap 13, Simon 11, Sangalang 10, Devance 7, Melton 6, Barroca 5, Reavis 5, Pingris 2, Mallari 2, De Ocampo 0.
GINEBRA 80 – Rodgers 35, Aguilar 12, Tenorio 11, Slaughter 7, Ellis 6, Caguioa 4, Mamaril 2, Forrester 2, Reyes 1, Ababou 0, Monfort 0.
Quarterscores: 21-22, 41-43, 69-67, 90-80
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