BOLTS WELCOME BREAK BUT ADDED SCORING SOCK A MUST
The Bolts knew they were facing a well-rested team in Rain or Shine in their semifinal series opener Tuesday. And Meralco coach Norman Black said that advantage was evident when they trooped to the floor.
“They showed a lot of energy in the fourth quarter and we committed a lot of turnovers which translated to a lot of fastbreak points for them,” Black said.
They may be down 0-1, but the Holy Week break augurs well for the Bolts.
“The number one thing we need is to get some rest. We just came off of a tough series against NLEX, so we need fresher legs,” Black said.
Execution is also a concern for Black right now, pointing out that the Bolts need to do “a better job of what we want to do.”
“We don’t want to make too many changes and adjustments. Getting back on defense has been a strength of my team this conference. We didn’t do that tonight so we just need a better job on that,” he said.
With Jared Dillinger sidelined, Black was forced to insert Gary David into the starting lineup. In the end, the Elasto Painters had a 50-27 advantage in bench scoring. The Bolts will need a lot more weapons in its arsenal for the rest of the series.
“Gary started so that’s Meralco. We don’t have a lot of weapons right now. He was the offense coming off the bench. Now that he’s in the starting lineup, it makes it more difficult to score,” rued Black, hoping that the break will let them figure things out as they brace for a tougher grind in Game 2.
“We’ll try to get production from the other guys. We’ll see.” (RL)
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