THERE'S no letting up for Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots, even if its lofty ranking has been assured.
Mike Harris made sure of that by leading the Hotshots to a cruising 118-91 win over his former team, Alaska, Sunday in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Harris notched 36 points and 10 rebounds, the bulk of those points enabling Magnolia to get off to a fiery start and gain an early big separation from Alaska, which opted not to bring back the American in the 2019 edition of the same tourney despite him taking them all the way to the finals the year before.
Actually, the former Best Import awardee saw action in just three quarters. But Magnolia's other players, including the relievers, did not let up and even stretched the gap to as much as 105-76, at about the midway point of the fourth period.
"In the pre-game, sinabi ko lang sa kanila na there is no such thing as no-bearing," said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero. "Our attitude, our mindset, and our system is that the most important game is kung ano 'yung lalaruin."
Ultimately, the Hotshots formalized their third straight win and a 9-1 record overall, aside from officially claiming the top seeding in the ensuing eight-team quarterfinals where they would tote a win-once advantage over the eighth-ranked squad.
Victolero also said they have no plan on letting up when they wind up the eliminations against Blackwater on Wednesday. "We'll try to get the momentum that we want going to the playoffs," he stated.
Returning Ian Sangalang provided main support to Harris with 14 points and Jio Jalalon also came off the bench to emerge with his own double-double of 12 points and 11 assists.
RK Ilagan's 14 points were enough to lead Alaska as import Olu Ashaolu could not match Harris' production, being limited to just 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Nigerian-Canadian could even have failed to finish in double digits if not for a late and inconsequential triple.
With their failure to bounce back from a 99-104 loss to Phoenix Super LPG last Thursday, the Aces finished the eliminations with a 6-5 slate, their ranking in the quarterfinals dependent on the other remaining matches featuring other teams with similar six wins.
Spoiled by Magnolia's win was the formal retirement ceremony held at halftime by Alaska for Sonny Thoss, whose No. 7 jersey was retired in honor of the Fil-German's contributions, not only to the team which he played for in his entire PBA career from 2004-2019 but also for his services as a member of the national team.
The Hotshots also had their own celebration for a center as well, as the game marked Rafi Reavis' 800th in the league, only the 10th player to have scaled the plateau in league history.(NC)(PBA)
(Photo credits to: PBA)