SMART CLARK GIGA CITY — Roger Pogoy needed no extra motivation when TNT took on Alaska in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals Saturday, except for the drive to deliver on every given night.
The 6-foot-2 gunslinger made that clear after waxing hot with 34 big points on 9-of-15 shooting versus the Aces. He powered the Tropang Giga to a dominant 104-83 victory, becoming an early entrant into the semifinals.
Pogoy also laced his performance with eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. And he pulled off the scoring explosion against the very same team he torched for 45 points back in the season resumption last Oct. 11.
“Nagkakataon lang talaga,” the former FEU stalwart told Tiebreaker Times. “Every game naman dapat magpakita ka, maglaro ka talaga.
“Nagkataon lang talaga maganda ‘yung laro ko ‘pag kalaban Alaska.”
Despite his impressive performance, Pogoy feels more satisfied that the flagship MVP franchise is heading back to the semis of the all-Filipino conference after three years — quite a long drought by TNT’s standards.
The Tropa last reached the said stage in 2017, when the team was still under current Blackwater head coach Nash Racela. Pogoy, meanwhile, was just in his rookie year back then.
“Masaya kami na pumasok na kami ulit sa semis,” expressed the Cebuano cager, who belongs to the special Gilas draft class of 2016. “Ang tagal na naming hindi naka-semis. Palagi kaming talo ‘pag all-Filipino.”
Still, Pogoy’s sights remain locked in on the bigger picture. He insists that TNT has just checked off one goal in its list.
The Tropang Giga now await the winner of the Phoenix Super LPG-Magnolia series for their foes in the best-of-five semis. Either team would make it difficult for their title aspirations.
“Nakuha na namin ‘yung goal namin na makapunta sa semis. Pero hindi pa tapos ang trabaho. Isang goal lang ‘yun.”
