BARAKO BULL SURPRISES MERALCO, FINALLY ENDS DECEMBER SLUMP
Coach Bong Ramos reminisced a time when he visited the practice facility of the San Antonio Spurs. There, he saw a big rock with a stonecutter sitting near it.
“Yun yung nagbibigay ng motivation sa players sa game na ito,” he said. “I reminded them to keep on pounding the rock. On the 100th time na hindi ma-break, sa 101, mabe-break na yan.”
And that was the case for his team this time.
After dropping six consecutive games – all since the onset of December, Barako Bull finally broke out of its funk to turn back Meralco, 99-86, Sunday in the 2014 PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We were able to execute our game plan very well kaya na-control namin yung laro,” Ramos said.
Seven players cracked double-digits in scoring for the Energy, led by Denok Miranda’s 17 points. Willie Miller and Mick Pennisi had 14 markers apiece, while re-activated forward Mark Macapagal and JC Intal tallied 11 each.
Five of those seven players had two triples each.
“Kung titingnan nyo, close games halos lahat ng laro namin. Ang hinihintay ko lang is kung hanggang kailan pipilitin ng players i-push yung sarili nila kahit natatalo kami,” Ramos said. “The players were really pushing themselves. Sabi ko sa mga players, don’t give up kasi mabibiyak din yan. And tonight, we were able to break the rock.”
It was a total team effort for the Energy, shooting well from beyond the arc and never letting go of the lead until the end.
Barako Bull shot 14-of-34 from beyond the arc in this game, which was the second-most in this conference. It was reminiscent of the conference-high 17 three-pointers they unloaded against Alaska on November 24, which coincidentally was their last win before the six-game skid.
“We were able to get over the hump. Hopefully, na-break na talaga namin yung rock, or may ibe-break na naman kaming bagong rock. But that is only one game and hopefully, we continue to upset teams,” said Ramos.
Gary David and Mike Cortez had 20 points apiece for the Bolts, while Rabeh Al-Hussaini and John Wilson had double-doubles for this game, as the former Blue Eagle had 19 points and 16 rebounds, while the ex-JRU marksman had 14 markers and 10 boards.
Cliff Hodge played his first game after missing the team’s last six because of severe sprain, but could only muster a point, three rebounds, an assist, and a block in 12 minutes of play.
The win tied Barako Bull with Meralco and Alaska for seventh place, all with an identical 3-6 cards. (RL)
The scores:
BARAKO BULL 99 – Miranda 17, Miller 14, Pennisi 14, Macapagal 11, Intal 11, Maierhofer 10, Pena 10, Lastimosa 4, Jensen 3, Buenafe 3, Wilson 2, Marcelo 0.
MERALCO 86 – David 20, Cortez 20, Al-Hussaini 19, Wilson 14, Hugnatan 5, Dillinger 4, Omolon 2, Guevarra 1, Hodge 1, Timberlake 0, Sena 0.
Quarterscores: 24-19, 50-39, 78-63, 99-86.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
