Benched Ibañes feels he could’ve helped ROS in loss to Star
FILE – Rain or Shine guard Jireh Ibañes drives against San Miguel Beer’s Chris Lutz.
Defensive stopper Jireh Ibañes believes he could have helped contain former teammate Paul Lee, who played against Rain or Shine for the first time since being traded to Star in the offseason.
Lee finished with 14 points that went with four assists and three rebounds to lead the Hotshots to a 99-91 win over his former team on Sunday in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup.
Ibanes, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, could only watch from the bench as Lee took over late to power the Hotshots (3-2) to their third straight win.
“Alam mo naman ako basta nasa loob, I’ll try to do the little things to help the team at gagawin ko kung anong hinihingi ng team at coaches sa akin,” offered Ibanes, who rode the bench all night.
The 6-foot-2 Ibanes, however, pointed out that turnovers and their inability to execute in the closing minutes cost the Painters the game.
“We just have to learn how to finish games” he added.
Ibanes said the loss serves a motivation for the Elasto Painters, who will try to bounce back on Friday when they face former coach Yeng Guiao and the skidding NLEX Road Warriors. Onofre John Andres
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