Trollano mans scoring booth for injury-hit NLEX

MANILA, Philippines -- With a depleted backcourt, the NLEX Road Warriors had to dig deep and try to grab quality minutes from other players as they tried to stop the NorthPort Batang Pier in their PBA Commissioner's Cup Wednesday.

NLEX missed the services of star guard Kevin Alas, who suffered a torn ACL earlier in the week, and Mike Nieto, who had COVID-19.

Spitfire guard Don Trollano heeded the call for the Road Warriors.

Trollano scored the first nine points of NLEX, and he finished with 18 points in the first quarter.

He ended the game with a total of 29 points, second only to import Thomas Robinson, who had 30 points and 18 rebounds.

Road Warriors head coach Frankie Lim said Trollano’s first quarter eruption was a big help for the depleted NLEX.

“I want Don to get started early for him to get his rhythm. It is a good thing that his first few shots dropped, and it just continued,” Lim told reporters in Filipino after the game.

“He is really a streak shooter. So he helped us a lot especially in the first quarter, as he had a high percentage,” he added.

Trollano made 11-of-20 shots for an efficient 55% field goal shooting.
He made four of his nine 3-pointers.

Lim, meanwhile, also lauded his other guards for stepping up in the absence of Nieto and Alas.

However, the coach bared that they will still work on the supposed non-execution of their plays and the leadership of their point guards in practice.

NLEX is now holding a 2-2 slate for the season.