Wednesday night proved to be a morale-boosting moment for Simon Enciso and the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Eleven days ago, Phoenix faced a top-tier team in Rain or Shine, bringing with them the momentum they had earned from wins against Meralco and Globalport — in which they carved out wins in come-from-behind finishes.
However, that particular night against Rain or Shine was a nightmare. They trailed for most of the game’s 48 minutes. They tried to emulate what they did to Meralco and Globalport, but to no avail. And as the final buzzer sounded, they found themselves on the end of a lopsided 97-82 result.
Coinciding with that Fuel Masters’ off-night was point guard Simon Enciso’s worst outing yet. In that game where he logged in 29:51 minutes of action, Enciso finished with just three points on a dismal 1-of-11 from the floor.
A three-point performance was definitely a stat way below his standards. But that only made him more fired up, as the five-foot-ten point guard bounced back in the best way he could just this Wednesday night.
The Fuel Masters barged into the win column at the expense of bottom-dwellers NLEX Road Warriors in a lopsided affair, 102-91, and it was Enciso who starred for the team offensively.
The Filipino-American floor general, despite needing 12 tries from the three-point area to sink five of those, was adjudged as the game’s best player with 21 markers to go along with four assists of his.
The ghost of that forgettable Sunday night has vanished. And for Enciso, his notable showing last night serves as a bounce-back game not only for the Fuel Masters, but also for him.
“Yeah, definitely. I mean, All great players have those nights [but] great players find ways to bounce back. All the hard work paid off in today’s win,” said Enciso, who is now averaging 13.2 points per contest.
“Thanks to my teammates and my coaches for putting me in the right spots for me to be successful in knocking down shots.”
Looking ahead, Phoenix will be facing tough teams in Ginebra and Alaska for their final games of the eliminations. But going along with Enciso’s self-confidence is his enormous trust in his team, that they can pull off wins against both squads.
“I know we’re going up against powerhouses in Ginebra and Alaska but I believe in our teammates and coaching staff. I feel like our gameplan will work out in the end and we will come get another victory,” said Enciso.
At the end of last night’s game, Phoenix is now sporting an above-.500 record of 5-4 and gained a share of the fourth spot with TNT and Globalport in the team standings.
With that current situation of theirs, Phoenix are now in a better position in the 2017 Philippine Cup playoff race. And for the confident Enciso, he likes the Fuel Masters’ playoff chances a lot.
“I like it a lot. I know we missed some opportunities and games that we should’ve won through out the season, but like I said, we focus on the now. I like our chances.
“I like my team, I like my coaching staff. We’re rolling right now. Everything’s clicking, so hopefully we could keep moving forward,” Enciso added optimistically.
