IMUS — Challenged by his coach to let his game do the talking, Ray Parks put on a solid performance, one that would speak volumes of how a great player he is.
Late Saturday night at Imus City Sports Complex here, the son of the late seven-time PBA Best Import made everybody on the Mandaluyong El Tigre’s lair look good and powered his team to a 71-61 win over the Zamboanga Valientes-Family’s Brand Sardines in the MPBL Datu Cup.
Earlier, Gen San invaded Imus and the visiting Warriors pulled off a hard-earned 79-73 triumph over the GLC Truck and Equipment-backed Bandera.
Parks dished out a league high 15 assists, eclipsing the previous record set by Paolo Hubalde of the Valenzuela Classic-CDO Idol Cheesedog. The back-to-back UAAP and ABL MVP also added 13 markers on top of six rebounds.
“I challenged him not to ruin his name by saying things like that. It won’t help him anyway,” Mac Cuan, head coach of the Mandaluyong El Tigre, told BusinessWorld. “The only way he could shut up the critics is by playing his game.”
Against the Valientes, Parks showed a glimpse of his greatness.
His court vision was phenomenal as he was setting up his teammates good looks top the basket. When his offense is needed, he would step up and knock down big baskets. Most of all, he was playing with a lot more energy, which was crucial in the win, according to Cuan.
“We lost our first game because we simply came out flat. During our past few practices, we tried to identify players who play with more energy and this will be essential in our win,” added Cuan.
One among the players who stepped up was Prince Rivero the undersized forward, who led his team’s production with 18 points. Gian Abrigo, a hardworking forward who was rarely utilized in the last outing, grabbed 13 rebounds for the El Tigre.
The El Tigre posted a 15-point lead, 46-30, early in the third period, but Von Lanete, brother of Chico and Garvo, who are now both playing in the PBA, rallied the Valientes. His back-to-back triples along with one hit by Noy Javier shoved Zamboanga within striking distance, 46-45.
Mandaluyong, however, responded with nine unanswered points to pull away anew. — Rey Joble

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