“Kapos.”
Adamson head coach Nash Racela was short on words after the Soaring Falcons absorbed a narrow 71-73 loss against University of the Philippines on Tuesday afternoon.
Down two with five seconds to go, Jerom Lastimosa decided to take an open three-point shot. It could’ve won them the game – but the ball failed to hit the rim as time expired.
Despite being inches away from pulling off an upset victory, Racela knows that there are still positives to be taken from this game. Even more after putting up a good fight against one of the top teams in the league.
“Of course, we wanted Jerom to make that three-pointer. We wanted to steal that victory for Adamson but ‘di nangyari,” the former UAAP champion coach said. “I just reminded them that the good thing about the game today is that it shows that if we do the right things… If we stay focused on the things that we need to do, then we give ourselves a really good chance at winning.”
Lastimosa, on the other hand, admitted that he could’ve shot the ball earlier. He still had a good look in the end, but his attempt didn’t connect from beyond the arc.
“Before I took the shot, may game plan kami ni coach Nash na pag na-stop namin ‘yung kalaban, dapat pala shinoot namin ng mas maaga para may opportunity pa kami na maka-rebound to shoot again,” he lamented.
“Yung nakita ko kasi ‘yung oras nung papunta sa rim namin is five seconds. And then nakita ko din kasi si Lenda [Douanga] sa harap ko. So ginamit ko ‘yung screen. Wide open naman siya, nakapos lang talaga sa tira.”
Despite missing the potential game-winner, the Dumaguete native still led his team with 18 points. He also had six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 27 minutes and 27 seconds of action.
After their good showing against UP, Lastimosa claimed that the Falcons have proven that they keep in step with the other teams despite being an underdog. Still, he is aware that his team has more room for improvement as their Season 84 campaign progresses.
“Kaya naman namin makipag-compete sa ibang teams kahit na underdog kami sa kanila… Kahit na maraming shooters, kahit mas malaki sila sa’min. Kaya namin silang talunin kaso may kulang pa talaga – madami pang tatrabahuhin sa team namin.”
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