SONNY Thoss turned out to be the answer Alaska was looking for at a time when the Aces couldn't seem to shake off a gritty Mahindra side.
The veteran big man came in for import Corey Jefferson and scored six points in a telling 10-0 run that enabled the Aces to pull away on the way to a 98-92 victory in the PBA Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday.
Thoss made so big an impact on the game that by the time Jefferson returned with a minute left on the clock, the Aces had a third straight win in the bag, 97-82.
Thoss also impressed on the defensive end as he held his own against a Floodbuster frontline led by the athletic James White.
"At a certain point, we had to sub out Cory and bring in Sonny. Sonny came in and he played like our import. He got us going on both ends," Compton said.
The typically low-key Thoss expectedly shrugged off the compliment.
"I just tried to give whatever I can to the team. I was resting most of the game, I was in and out so I had a little energy," Thoss said after finishing with 11 points in 17 minutes of action.
"I tried to be aggressive and tried to take advantage of the opportunity," he added.
[See Unbeaten Alaska deals Mahindra a reality check]
Facing a player with White's athleticism is never easy and Thoss deflected all the credit to his teammates for doing a good job helping him out.
"I just tried to do what I can, I know my teammates are behind me. You know.. team defense," he said.
But if he's going to be honest, Thoss sheepishly admitted that his 13 years of experience worked for him in the face of a gifted, yet inexperienced, import.
"Yeah," Thoss said when asked if his experience turned out to be advantage. "Maybe a little bit."