Encho Serrano pulled off easily the best highlight of Phoenix Super LPG’s upset of Meralco in Wednesday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup had it not been overruled.
The high-leaping guard finished the lob of RJ Jazul with a two-handed jam and even hung on to the rim for a while at the 7:10 mark of the third quarter, but the two points were later on taken back following a thorough review by officials.
His dunk was ruled as basket interference. Nonetheless, Serrano was just glad that he was able to do that — even if it did not count.
“Matagal ko ng gustong gawin ‘yun e. Not counted. Pero at least, nakapag-try ako, and masaya naman. Good pass si Kuya RJ,” he said in between chuckles shortly after their 89-82 victory at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“Lagi namin pinapraktis. Kanina nga before third quarter, sabi ko, ‘Kuya RJ gusto ko dumakdak.’ Kaya lang, ganun talaga, not counted. Pero at least.”
Serrano was all smiles while recalling that particular play but he definitely had more reasons to be glad about. He was solid yet again for the Fuel Masters, finishing with 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 17 minutes.
(C) PBA Images
It was the third time in a row that he’s finished in double figures, fourth overall this conference. After Wednesday’s win, the rookie out of La Salle has now upped his averages to 10.3 points on a 49-percent shooting clip.
For Serrano, it’s all about trying to stay consistent, aiming not just to prove his worth but to help the Fuel Masters, who are now in the midst of a three-game winning streak after a 0-3 start into the mid-season conference.
“Mine-maintain ko kung ano ‘yung ginagawa ko, kasi alam ko na gusto ko tumulong sa team namin,” said the Kapampangan cager.
Still, the aim is to grow moving forward for Serrano, beginning with taking care of the ball better after having five turnovers against the Bolts.
“Siguro ‘yung turnovers ko, bawasan ko siguro ‘yung gigil kasi anytime naman na pinapasok ako andun naman yung sinasabihan na atake lang ako. So siguro kailangan ko i-maintain ‘yung control ng emotion ko pagpasok ko sa loob.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
