Jio Jalalon may have scored just six points in Star Hotshots’ 78-74 victory over the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal series, but he was among the happiest.
The 5’8″ point guard shot just 3-of-8 from the floor and dished out a single assist against the Barangay, but what was truly glaring was his performance on the boards.
Jalalon, who averaged just 4.5 caroms a match during the elimination round, grabbed nine boards — doing it over the taller frontline of both the Barangay and the Hotshots.
But for the former Arellano Chiefs standout, it had been just sheer luck that he was able to grab those loose balls, greatly resembling what his good friend Scottie Thompson does for Ginebra.
“Na-swertehan lang siguro dahil ‘yung bola napupunta sa akin,” said Jalalon. “Naging aggressive rin ako. Lahat ng bigs rumi-rebound, tapos ako naga-abang lang sa bola, kaya nakukuha ko ‘yung ibang rebounds.”
When asked about his dismal six-point outing in his first semifinal appearance, and a zero point outing during his Manila Clasico debut, Jalalon quickly shrugged it off, saying that he was focused on defense rather than offense.
“Hindi ko na iniisip ‘yung zero points ko. Kumbaga ginawa ko na lang ‘yung hustle. Sinasabihan ako ni coach na kailangan ko muna dumipensa bago ako maka-score. Kaya ayun, nagawa ko,” said the Gilas cadet.
Aside from his effort on the glass, Jalalon was also an integral part of Star’s defense, especially their schemes on defending top Ginebra guard LA Tenorio.
As a result, Tenorio finished with just eight markers on 3-of-11 shooting to go along with six dimes. But for Jalalon, he reiterated that it was a total team effort by Star on the defensive end.
“Nag-focus lang ako mag stay sa harap ni Kuya LA. Ginawa ko lang ‘yung pinapagawa ni Coach. Nagtulong-tulong din kami sa depensa,” said the 25-year-old.
Game 1 has already wrapped up, and the Hotshots are now setting their sights onto the next game. And for Jalalon, all that they have to do is to keep themselves locked in.
“Nagawa namin ngayon ‘yung mga preparations namin. Kailangan namin pag-uwi, back to zero na agad. Sabi nga ni Kuya Ping, kahit panalo kami sa Game 1, useless ‘yun kapag pagdating sa Game 2, matatalo kami,” the Cagayan de Oro-native said.
“Kaya kailangan back to zero, focus.”
