When you get the opposing coach heaping praises on you, that speaks volumes.
That was the case, at least, for Mapua University's Clint Escamis when De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde head coach Charles Tiu had nothing but good things to say about him on the heels of their encounter in Game 1 of NCAA Season 100 finals on Sunday.
Escamis went off on another massive scoring spree, dropping 30 points on a 57% shooting percentage laced with five steals and four assists to star on both ends in their 84-73 mastery of the Blazers.
Escamis' 17 points in the first quarter allowed Mapua to pull away for good even after Benilde staged a third quarter comeback attempt.
A week before that, the reigning MVP also exploded for a career-high 33 points that helped the Cardinals survive Lyceum of the Philippines University in their Final Four clash.
"He made a lot of tough shots in the first half, he killed us both defensively and offensively," Tiu said.
"He’s a great player. It’s tough to make him work to earn his points. He’s better than everybody right now."
And the Blazers know that if they want to extend the series to a winner-take-all Game 3, they would need to prioritize stopping Escamis come Game 2 which won't be happening until next Saturday, giving both teams enough time to plot their next move.
"Clint Escamis was great as always," Tiu added.
"It was a tough game for us, I guess the guys were a bit nervous as this is their first time in the finals so hopefully we can be better next game."
Tony Ynot, who was one of those assigned to guard the Mapua skipper, admitted it was tough to put the clamps on Escamis even as they double-teamed him on defense. But he vowed to focus on this when they make the most of the one-week break.
"Siguro pag-aralan namin mga galaw niya kasi sobrang magaling siyang mag ano talaga. Siguro sa training, pag isipan namin paano siya depensahan, paano siya i-stop kasi kahit may double na siya, magaling pa rin siyang makabutas," Ynot, who was limited to just seven points but made up for it with five rebounds and five assists, said.
"Babawi kami. Sana pagdating sa Game 2, ma-stop namin siya."
[We'll just study his moves because he's really good. I think in training, we'll think about how to defend him, how to stop him, because even when he's doubled, he's good at getting through... We'll bounce back. I hope that in Game 2 we'll be able to stop him.]
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
