NCAA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Arellano head coach Cholo Martin has found his primary and secondary options for the Chiefs moving forward.
After his star big man Cade Flores fouled out in the fourth quarter against Mapua on Sunday, Martin relied on Axel Doromal and Shane Menina to close out the game.
“They’re really now our 1-2. They can interchange positions but they will always take charge. We’ll always have plays for them where they can just go,” Martin said after the Chiefs’ 64-59 win over the Cardinals.
Doromal scored a game-high 16 points while Menina added 13, including the game-clinching triple, that went with seven rebounds.
“Coach’s trust in me is great. I just did my role for this team to play well. Whatever he said, plays, defenses, we did it all plus our trust in our other coaches,” Menina said.
The graduating guard also credited his backcourt partner.
“It feels good to play with him,” Menina said of Doromal.
“Sometimes when I’m tired, he can play point, but we can switch. He can play point when I’m tired so even if I’m on the bench, the team inside is still intact,” he explained.
Doromal is currently the league’s leading scorer averaging 17.7 points per game.