Tropang Giga at Hotshots, nakauna sa Game 1 Semis

ni Gerard Arce - @Sports | October 04, 2021

Napagdesisyunan sa mga huling sandali ng 4th period ang mga panalo ng Magnolia Hotshots at league leader TNT Tropang Giga para parehong makuha ang Game 1 panalo kontra sa mga katunggaling Meralco Bolts, 88-79 at San Miguel Beermen 89-88 sa Game 1 ng best-of-7 semifinals ng 46th PBA Philippine Cup sa Don Honorio Ventura State University sa Bacolor, Pampanga.

Nauwi sa isang mainit na laban ang koponan ng Hotshots at Bolts hanggang tumuntong sa mahigit 3 minuto ng 4th period at nakalayo ang Hotshots.

Umariba ng 8 puntos sa 13 puntos sa 4th period si Abueva na naglalarong may 5 foul trouble maging sa 1:55 ng 3rd period, habang namuno si Ian Sangalang na may 18pts at 8 boards at Paul Lee sa 17 pts, habang nag-ambag ng pinagsamang 23 puntos sina Jio Jalalon at Mark Barroca.

“It’s a very hard and grinding game. We talk about playing for 48 mins. We learned a lot about our lost in the eliminations. They played and focus for 48 mins. Talagang it’s a hard game, and regarding the emotions it’s a series and a semis. That’s only part of the game pero wala iyon. Kailangan lang ma-control ang emotions even me,” pahayag ni Hotshots coach Chito Victolero hinggil sa naging sagutan nila ni Meralco big man Raymond Almazan.

Tumindig naman sa magandang depensa ang Tropang Giga sa huling mga huling segundo ng laro para pigilan ang Beermen sa pagtatangkang makuha ang panalo. Nanguna sa opensa sa Tropang Giga si RR Pogoy na kumana ng 23 pts katulong sina Jayson Castro (16pts), Poy Erram (15pts) at Troy Rosario (14pts)

“I believe that they can beat us in many kinds of ways. But we just play a straight up defense and as a whole as good as we can. It’s all just effort and the key in winning this first game is just believing. Even with the absence of Kelly, in spite of that, the guys believe and show it all tonight,” wika ni TNT coach Chot Reyes.