Bitoon shows new facet in game, steers Manila to MPBL record-setting night

BACOOR, CAVITE — Manila-Frontrow had a record-setting night Monday evening when it took on Mindoro-JAC Liner in the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Season at the STRIKE Gym here.

With their 133-101 victory over the Tamaraws, the Stars eclipsed the previous high of 125 set by Navotas-Unipak Sardines and erased other marks in the process.

Exploiting their superiority under the boards, the Stars scored 94 inside the paint, surpassing the 90 set by Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines, scored 55 on the break, erasing Zamboanga’s 36, and dumped 39 points in the fourth quarter, also a new MPBL standard.

The victory also raised Manila’s record to 23-5 in the Northern Division, clinching homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

And steering the Stars in this showcase was Chris Bitoon.

Widely known as a lethal scorer, the product of St. Clare displayed a different facet of his game, showcasing his playmaking wonders as he delivered a career-high 12 assists while also tallying eight points, eight rebounds, and two steals.

“Yun ang laging sinasabi sa akin ng coaches, na okay na ako sa scoring so kailangan kong maging leader inside the court, kailangan kong maikot yung bola at ma-guide ang team ko,” said Bitoon, who is just 24 years old.

This was just the second time this season Bitoon reached double-figures in dimes, with the first one against GenSan Warriors in just their fourth match.

Bitoon working on his playmaking skills other than just scoring is what Manila head coach Tino Pinat ordered, for him to be more dangerous in the offensive end.

“Kailangan talaga mag-explore ni Chris sa gameplay niya. Maganda yun para sa team namin kasi mas nagiging balanse.”

Pinat anticipates his backcourt duo of Bitoon and Carlo Lastimosa would be deadlier as the former transforms into a pure floor general.

“Yun talaga ang pinapafocus namin kay Chris, yung playmaking para mas maging deadly yung one-two punch nila ni Carlo.”

The 5-foot-11 gunslinger is also improving his passing game in preparation for the PBA as he was drafted 26th overall by the Blackwater Elite franchise last December.

“Nire-ready ko lang yung sarili ko para sa PBA kasi syempre sobrang dami ng mas magagaling na scorer doon so yung passing game ko yung pinapractice ko ngayon.”

In other games, Cebu-Casino Ethyl Alcohol hacked out a 77-73 win over Nueva Ecija while Bacoor hammered GenSan-Burlington, 87-75, to also clinch home-court edge in the Southern Division.

Story by Justin Valencia
Photo by Thel Suliva