Thursday afternoon, the backs of the Valencia City- San Sebastian Golden Harvest were against the wall.
Already going up against one of the top collegiate squads in the country Cignal-Ateneo Blue Eagles, they suffered a huge blow early in the game.
Allyn Bulanadi, who was averaging 21.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this tournament, popped his right shoulder just one minute and 55 seconds into the game.
He did not return to the contest.
“Wala. Siyempre masakit sa kalooban yun na ‘di ako nakalaro, parang ‘di ako nakatulong,” lamented the 21-year-old, who figured in a crash with Angelo Kouame that resulted in the injury.
“Pero nandoon naman ako para sa kanila. Mino-motivate ko sila mula sa bench,” he continued, looking at the silver-lining.
“Ganoon talaga. ‘Di ko naman inasahan na mai-injure ako eh.”
Without Bulanadi, Valencia City-Baste received a harsh whipping at the hands of Ateneo, absorbing a 73-100 rout to kiss their title hopes goodbye.
“Kaya naman daw. Na-dislocate lang kanina. Siguro palalakasin na lang ito ng PT namin,” he continued.
Still, Bulanadi is looking at the positives of this campaign. The MVP candidate hopes that their stand in the second league carries over to his final season in the NCAA.
“Madadala talaga namin ito sa NCAA. Malaking tulong sa amin ito. Kumbaga, sa jelling din ng team,” the San Sebastian lifer declared.
“Kaya malaking tulong talaga para sa NC.”
