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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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04
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26
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
26
2024
Acting Kia coach Chito Victolero knows Barako Bull counterpart Koy Banal well, having played under the latter during their Mapua days and serving under him in both San Beda and Arellano in the NCAA and even in the old PBL.
It’s not surprising therefore that Victolero learned a few tricks from Banal, especially on the defensive side which the former utilized in their match Wednesday.
With their defense stifling the Energy’s known gunners no end, the Carnival pulled off a 71-68 upset to snap out of their funk and again stoke their drive for a playoff berth in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jet Chang’s 15 points and LA Revilla’s 10 were the lone double digit outputs for Kia, but the expansion team got the job done by keeping its act together, especially in the gut-wrenching finish of the game where the Carnival held the conference’s top offensive team to its lowest output the entire season and in more than a year.
As a result, the Carnival not only snapped out of a two-game skid but also improved to a 4-3 slate that is good for fourth-running spot, well among those teams vying for the eight slots in the quarterfinals.
Victolero, calling the shots for Kia in lieu of injured playing coach Manny Pacquiao, credited his players for making the necessary stops, the basics of which he credited Banal with.
“I told my players it’s a defensive game. I know coach Koy. He’s my mentor, especially on defense. Majority ng sistema ko sa depensa galing kay coach Koy,” said Victolero.
“Everybody played their hearts out. Last three days grabe sa practice, it’s like hell. Parang nagkakapikunan na nga sila,” added Victolero.
The loss was Barako Bull’s second in eight games, dropping it to a tie for second spot with Alaska.
Carlo Lastimosa and Chico Lanete each scored 13 points to pace the Energy, who made just 25 of 72 attempts from the field and committed 21 turnovers to wind up with a score way below its league-leading 108.3 average.
Actually, Kia did not do better from the field, going 26-for-77 while committing 18 miscues itself.
But the Carnival did stymie the Energy and that’s what counts the most in a game that had neither team leading by more than seven points.
Liam McMorrow bucked foul trouble to finish with 12 points and 16 rebounds, off his averages of 29 and 23.3, while being outplayed in stretches by Kia counterpart Hamady N’Diaye, who accounted for eight points, 14 boards and his usual quota of five swats.
“Defensively, sa matchup kay McMorrow I challenged N’Diaye and he did a good job, lalo na sa pick-and-roll,” related Victolero.
RR Garcia wound up with just 11 points and JC Intal four, but faring the worst among the Energy’s scorers was Joseph Yeo.
After averaging 22.75 points in Barako’s last four games, Yeo also bore the brunt of Kia’s defense as he finished scoreless despite 11 tries from the field, some of them clear looks.
“Number one si Joseph Yeo sa defense namin,” said Victolero. “We wanted him to pass the ball and not to take the shot.”
Yeo did finish with four assists and three rebounds but he figured in two crucial plays that helped Kia along. First, he lost the ball to Virgil Buensuceso, whose charity split gave the Carnival a 70-68 lead, still 1:17 to go.
When Barako Bull regained possession with 20 seconds left and despite Banal’s admonition during their last timeout that all they needed was a two-pointer to tie, Yeo launched a triple try that missed.
Hyram Bagatsing, whose drive gave Kia a 69-67 lead, also came out with a split from the stripe.
But the count stood when both JC Intal and RR Garcia missed their respective triple tries. (NC)
The scores:
KIA 71 – Chang 15, Revilla 10, Thiele 9, Bagtsing 9, N’Diaye 8, Deutchman 8, Alvarez 5, Webb 4, Buensuceso 3, Dehesa 0, Nuyles 0, Pascual 0.
BARAKO BULL 68 – Lastimosa 13, Lanete 13, McMorrow 12, Garcia 11, Maierhofer 9, Intal 4, Wilson 4, Pascual 2, Yeo 0, Hubalde 0, Chua 0, Ababou 0.
Quarterscores: 18-23, 35-34, 54-54, 71-68
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