GAMES WEDNESDAY
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Blackwater vs. Rain or Shine
7:30 p.m. – Ginebra vs. NLEX
ANTIPOLO CITY. — Just how sharp was Magnolia and how sleepy was Terrafirma on this Sunday night?
Hotshots backup guard Jerrick Balanza trooped to the 15-foot line for two free throws early in the fourth quarter. After the first foul shot, the Dyip moved to inbound the ball, thinking it was already the last freebie.
Leaning on a vicious second quarter blitzkrieg, Magnolia bludgeoned Terrafirma 127-94 for its fifth straight win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center here.
The Dyip made a mental lapse anew after Louie Sangalang threw an errant pass that went straight to the hands of Aris Dionisio, and the Hotshots made them pay with a Balanza three-pointer that made it 106-76 with 7:40 remaining.
There’s little to no secret to Magnolia’s 5-0 start in the season-ending tourney, counting a 118-99 whipping of Phoenix in Zamboanga City last Saturday; it’s just sheer teamwork and hard work, according to Hotshots coach Chito Victolero.
“Of course, I’m very happy because everybody stepped up. Everybody contributed. Iyon naman ang system namin, we just try to go hard every time we step on the court, give our 100 percent, and our players coming off the bench were ready to play,” Victolero said. “Nakita naman natin sa game. Everybody was happy.
“They were also encouraging and supporting each other. But the goal is how we will finish the conference strong. We’re happy we have a good start compared to the last two conferences,” he added.
Six-foot-7 big man Zavier Lucero muscled his way to a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds for Magnolia while Paul Lee chipped in 13 markers and three boards.
Jerrick Ahanmisi and Joseph Eriobu also had 11 points each for the Hotshots.
Terrafirma absorbed its fourth loss in a row, including an 80-101 thrashing at the hands of Ginebra last April 23, for a 1-4 slate.
From a 27-25 count at the end of the opening quarter, Magnolia unleashed a killer 23-0 blitz in the second canto to break the match wide open and led by as much as 65-32 on an Ian Sangalang basket at the 1:49 mark of the second.
The Hotshots held a 65-37 advantage at the half and were still very much comfortable ahead 91-63 after three periods.
Louie Sangalang carried the fight for the Dyip with 19 points, 12 caroms, and seven assists while Stanley Pringle and Kevin Ferrer combined for 37.
Almost halfway through the eliminations, Magnolia is looking good in its campaign to exorcise the demons of two failed bids the past two conferences while Terrafirma, which is shopping its franchise for a sale at the end of the season, seemingly remains the same whipping squad—unless the Dyip intend to have a graceful exit.
