For the first three quarters of Mapua University’s battle against San Beda University, Paolo Hernandez was far from having his best showing in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament.
Before Sunday’s matchup, the Cardinals’ veteran scorer was averaging 9.07 points, 5.07 rebounds, and 3.14 assists in 14 games played for Mapua.
However, against the Red Lions, Hernandez found himself without a field goal and just a single point as he struggled to figure out the San Beda defense.
With Hernandez struggling, the Cardinals found themselves in a dogfight with San Beda in the final minutes of their match. Despite his difficulties, head coach Randy Alcantara had no problem playing Hernandez in crunch time.
For a majority of the season and even in years past, Hernandez earned Alcantara’s trust when it came to the biggest moments – whether or not he was having a good game or a terrible one.
Time and time again, Hernandez, alongside Mapua’s other leaders Clint Escamis and Warren Bonifacio, was always there to answer the call when the spotlight was on him.
“Talagang sabi ko nga, nag-struggle at nag-turnover, kinakausap lang namin siya ng mga coaches, sabi namin, ‘time na niya iyon.’ Kung mashoot niya or hindi, basta kung ganoong crunch time, dapat talaga na sa loob siya,” said Alcantara.
In the dying seconds of the match, the moment called for Hernandez, and he delivered.
With 48 seconds to go, a chaotic offensive possession that sprung from an offensive rebound from Hernandez somehow resulted in him wide open at the three-point line with the ball in his hands.
Without making a single field goal for the first 39 minutes of the game, Hernandez rose up for the triple and sank it, handing the 71-69 win to Mapua.
“Tiwala. Yun talaga ‘yung tiwala, sa mga coaches ‘yung tiwala nila sa akin sinusuklian ko lang. Kahit na ang daming lapses, hindi ko ma-lead ‘yung team ko. ‘Yung game on the line na iyon, actually hindi ko rin alam kung papasok ‘yon pero talagang tiwala lang sa shot at nagtiwala lang sila sa akin,” said Hernandez.
“Very grateful talaga, nashoot iyon ano out of five shots, ‘yun lang nashoot ko, very thankful lang talaga sa tiwala na binigay ni Lord.”
Alcantara later on even called Hernandez their ‘clutch man,’ giving full credit to him and the rest of his squad for pulling away with the win.
“Of course masayang masaya, unang maraming salamat Panginoon na nanalo kami sa laro na ito, pero siyempre nandiyan na ‘yung mga players para itong panalo na ito credit sa kanila. Siyempre hindi ganoon kadali kalaban sa San Beda, talagang kailangan hanggang tapos. Thankful talaga especially sa aming clutch man. Of course, nandiyan siya lagi,” said Alcantara.
With the San Beda game past them, Hernandez and the rest of the Cardinals turn their attention to an even tougher challenge. They next go up against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, who are on a four-game win streak.
The Altas are coming off their own game-winning three-pointer courtesy of Mark Omega, and both teams enter the matchup with massive momentum boosts.
The two squads battle it out on Wednesday at 1:30 PM.
