DAVAO CITY — Just as they did with Zamboanga’s Alvin Pasaol last February 18, the Davaoeños inside the RMC Petrogazz Arena worked their magic once more, rallying behind another proud son of the city in Allyn Bulanadi.
And the raucous home crowd wasted no time expressing their love for Bulanadi.
When the 6-foot-3 swingman finally approached the scorer’s table at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter of Basilan-Jumbo Plastic’s 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Season South semis match-up against Bacoor City, the fans immediately showered him with cheers.
“Sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam kasi mga taga-Davao alam kong naka-suporta sa akin. Bawat sigaw nila, talagang nakaka-motivate e,” said Bulanadi, who grew up in Doña Pilar, Davao City.
Feeding off the energy coming from the crowd, the Gilas cadet put on a show in front of his supporters.
The product of San Sebastian spearheaded Basilan’s offensive strike. He poured in 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and an emphatic block in a 77-63 game One victory over Bacoor City.
He also acted as the catalyst in the Steel’s breakaway, uncorking two triples to kick-start a telling 23-6 barrage in the closing minutes and completely slam the doors on the Strikers.
The 22-year-old Bulanadi expressed his gratitude to the Davaoeños, who still chose to support him despite representing a different city on his chest. And the product of San Sebastian decided to dedicate the victory to his loving compatriots.
“Siyempre, para sa Davao, taga rito ako e. Siguro kumbaga, ‘yung expectations nila sa akin hinigitan ko lang,” said Bulanadi.
“Talagang na-motivate ako, para sa kanila ‘tong larong ‘to, kasi siyempre Davaoeño ako e. So dapat may ma-prove ako sa kanila.”
In the other South semis bout, Davao Occidental-Cocolife flaunted its defensive wares, clamping down Zamboanga-Family’s Brand Sardines, 47-28, to draw first blood in the series.
Story by Jonash Dannug
Photos by Thel Suliva
