Opposing teams always look forward to playing against Ginebra and their sixth man
And it can either be a pro or a con for any team.
The anticipation of playing against Ginebra, however, helped contribute to Blackwater’s 90-99 loss Friday evening at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
“Alam naman na ‘yung crowd advantage sa kanila so na-excite kami maglaro. Naging over-aggressive na siguro napasama sa amin kasi marami kaming binigay na free throws sa kanila — obviously, mga fouls,” admitted Blackwater rookie Mac Belo.
Overall, the Elite committed 38 fouls in the game that led to 36 free throw attempts for the Gin Kings. And it proved to be costly for the upstart team.
Behind Roi Sumang, Blackwater were able to rally back early in the final frame, tying the game at 82-all with 8:44 remaining. However, their over-eagerness on the defensive end led to freebies for Ginebra, with sparkplug Ronjay Buenafe fouling out with 7:33 left and bruiser Bambam Gamalinda being disqualified just a minute and 53 seconds later.
“‘Di ko na masyado napansin ‘yung run nila kasi nag-focus lang ako sa game so ‘di ko alam na naka-run na pala sila. ‘Di ko nga alam na nakatabla na kami,” said Belo, who had three fouls in the game. “Nag-collapse lang siguro kami sa depense namin sa huling minutes ng game.”
“Napuputol ‘yung momentum namin. May times na gagawa kami ng run, matatawagan kami ng foul tapos mag-free throw sila.”
The loss proved to be painful for the young Elite as well, as it dropped them to seventh place in the standings with a 5-5 slate. And with just one game remaining — against the Star Hotshots who are just a game behind them — Belo and the Elite are going all out on Wednesday.
“Do-or-die talaga ‘yung namin against Star. Kailangan namin ibigay lahat,” the 23-year-old Gilas cadet vowed.
