AN injury to gunner Allein Maliksi compounded the woes of Blackwater in the PBA Governors Cup.
Maliksi sprained his ankle early in a game against Rain or Shine and never returned as the Elite suffered a second straight loss, 99-82, at the Astrodome.
Averaging 9.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19 minutes of average play, the 6-foot-3 forward from University of Santo Tomas finished with only two points and saw action for a shade under three minutes.
“After niyang maka-shoot kanina, na-roll niya yung ankle niya. So hindi na siya nakabalik,” said coach Aris Dimaunahan. “And big blow sa amin yun, komo ilang puntos din yung nawala na mapo-provide sana ni Allein.”
With one less key player, the Elite went to rookie Bobby Ray Parks, who exploded for 27 points. But he went scoreless in the fourth quarter as Blackwater reeled to its fifth loss in seven outings.
Dimaunahan was still waiting for an update on the status of Maliksi ahead of a game against Alaska this Saturday.
“Hindi ko pa alam. We still have to talk to the PTs (physical therapists) sa kundisyon ni Allein,” added the Blackwater coach.

Nonetheless, Dimaunahan stayed positive about the Elite’s shot of making it back to the playoffs.
To get the job done, the team needs to sweep its remaining games in the playoffs.
“Pero I told the boys let’s not look at the four games, let’s just look at Alaska muna,” said Dimaunahan. “So yun muna ang focus namin, on how to play better against Alaska. And then tsaka na yung mga susunod.”
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