MIKH McKinney exploded for 50 points for Macau Black Bears when they faced San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the 2019 ASEAN Basketball League on Friday.
It was the second time in a span of 10 days where the Fil-Am guard had a scoring outburst, dropping 40 in the two team's faceoff in their home court back in Feb. 27.
But it wasn't the case two months ago.
McKinney only had 18 in a losing effort in the first meeting between the two squads, a far cry from his recent high-scoring stretch.
And the biggest difference between that first duel and the succeeding two? The presence of a familiar face in Caelan Tiongson for Alab.
The Fil-Am forward agreed that it would have been a different story had he played in the game, believing that McKinney won't get to 50 despite shooting stupendously from deep.
"When I get to the court, Im gonna do my best to make sure he doesn’t score nearly that much," the defensive-minded forward said.
Of course, Tiongson and McKinney know each other all too well being teammates last season with Chong Son Kung Fu (now-Macau Black Bears), leading the team to last year's top seed and to the semifinals.
Now that they've gone their separate ways, there's really nothing but respect between the two warriors as Tiongson would be the first to be in awe of the greatness of his former teammate.
"He's a great player. I know it because I played with him last year," he said.
Lucky for Tiongson, he has a chance to prove himself right as he is poised to be cleared from his sprained ankle just in time for the fourth meeting between Alab and Macau on March 15 at Foshan International Sports and Cultural Center.
Rusty Magsakay
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