Banal: Barako Bull lacks ‘finishing kick’ after OT loss to GlobalPort
PBA IMAGES
Barako Bull head coach Koy Banal saw some bright spots in the Energy’s overtime loss to GlobalPort on Sunday.
Banal liked how his team found its way back from an early 15-point lead and how his squad relied on a collective effort that almost overcame the performance of the Batang Pier’s explosive duo of Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle.
“From Day One, that’s what we’ve been talking about. We don’t have a go-to guy or a legit superstar here. All we want is to play as a team. We want to share the ball. Whoever’s hot, we want to set him up and support him,” he said
And true to his words, the Energy rode on the hot shooting of JC Intal, who forced overtime with a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, and the stupendous showing of Jervy Cruz and Willy Wilson during their rally.
Chico Lanete, the Barako Bull guard, also appeared to have fully recovered from an eye injury he sustained in a game a week ago though he wore a protective mask.
Banal was pleased by the way his team fought but he would gladly take an ugly win over a moral victory any day.
“Kulang pa ng finishing kick and that’s obvious. Half of the team are new, so yun ang naging result,” Banal said. “We need to play more of those kind of games and overcome it. That’s when we could say that we’re really a team.”
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.
