Being turned back by long-time rivals that have brought lots of trouble can prove a bitter pill to swallow.
In a rivalry match-up between San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra Sunday night, the Beermen narrowly reigned victorious, 72-70, by successfully arresting a late-game hijack attempt by the Barangay.
The loss proved costly for the Ginebra side. After a win last Christmas over Star which improved their slate to 3-3, they have now dropped to 3-4 and crashed to the ninth spot in the standings.
The heartbreaking two-point defeat sent Ginebra into a downward spiral at this stage of the Philippine Cup. However, ace guard LA Tenorio still remains positive despite the setback.
“I think if we’re going to look at the whole game, I think it’s a good sign for us. If we play like that in the next games, may mararating yung team namin,” remarked Tenorio moments after the loss.
“I hope this game will give the confidence going to the next games.”
However, Tenorio was quick to point out all the downsides his team had had in the loss, particularly their poor shooting that equated to a 70-point output — a far cry from their 88.2 points-per-outing prior to the match.
“We have to make our shots. Ganun lang naman ang basketball: you have to make your shots para manalo,” Tenorio rued regarding the dismal 28 of 78 or 36 percent shooting clip of Ginebra.
“The problem now is our offense. We have to gain our confidence back every game. But I hope this game will give the confidence going to the next games.”
As of now, Ginebra is at the outside of the top eight, but for the 10-year veteran, the Barangay still have a chance of making it back to a safe spot of the rankings, and possibly into the next round.
“May chance pa naman eh. Hawak pa rin namin yung baraha namin. If we play like that against other teams, I think malaki yung chance naming manalo,” said the 32-year-old.
“Yung mga games na tulad nito, ito yung mga game na gusto namin, kasi it will prepare us really going to the next games and the playoffs.”
