By: Miguel Caramoan
For Jerson Cabiltes, the past two weeks were a whirlwind of extremes — from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows — all inside the familiar walls of the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
In one breath, he celebrated guiding the Pangasinan Heatwaves to a stunning upset over second-seeded San Juan, punching their ticket to the MPBL North Division Finals.
In the next, he endured heartbreak as Emilio Aguinaldo College faltered in an 80-76 play-in loss to Jose Rizal University, abruptly ending their NCAA Season 101 campaign.
Yet despite juggling two high-stakes roles, Cabiltes refused to let fatigue or scheduling conflicts become an excuse.
“More of time management tsaka magkasunod naman yung ensayo namin,” he said.
“We prepared hard for this game, mga around a week, so hindi naman naging problema.”
EAC had started the season with promise, posting a 4-4 record, only to see a five-game skid drag them down to fifth in the tightly contested Group B.
For Cabiltes, the pattern behind their collapse was clear.
“Doon sa last five games, we had double-digit leads, pero hindi namin natapos,” he admitted. “Kaya we will really look into our team and improve those weaknesses.”
Turnovers proved costly against JRU, translating into easy fastbreak points that ultimately decided the game.
“Twenty-one to zero sa fastbreak points,” he pointed out.
“So definitely not our brand of basketball. Kasi once you give up easy baskets in transition, ang hirap bawiin non.”
With EAC’s season now over, Cabiltes can shift his full focus to keeping the Heatwaves’ momentum alive.
Pangasinan trails 0-2 in the Northern Division Finals against the Abra Solid North Weavers, with Game 3 scheduled this Thursday at the Robert B. Estrella Sr. Memorial Stadium in Rosales, Pangasinan.
Still, he remains optimistic about the Generals’ future.
“May mga recruit naman na kami na parating for next season,” he said.
“So we’ll see kung paano mag-improve yung team.”
