MALOLOS — Joseph Sedurifa has become third-seed Makati-Super Crunch’s barometer this 2020 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season quarterfinals series against sixth-place Bulacan.
That was how head coach Beaujing Acot looks at Sedurifa’s importance in Makati’s dugout — a force needed to keep winning.
“He is the leader of the team. If Joseph is calm, the team is calm. He is doing something intangible, not the seen statistics, but the intangibles of bonding everyone.”
His leadership proved to be vital, since Makati had to forfeit its homecourt advantage after the league deemed the Guadalupe Viejo Gym unsafe for the players.
“Malaking bagay ‘yun kasi iba maglaro kapag nandoon sa homecourt eh. Naging motivation na lang namin ‘yun na nawala ‘yung advantage namin,” said Sedurifa.
In the post-season, Sedurifa’s minutes have gone up. And so did his numbers.
During the elimination round, the 6-foot-1 combo guard only averaged 8.06 points in 22 minutes of playing time. In the playoffs, though, he is posting norms of 14 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33 minutes of game time.
“Playoff time na eh.
“Bilang isa sa mga beterano dito sa team, ipinapakita ko lang sa kanila na playoff is a different game. Need ng leader, so I stepped up,” said the former Meralco Bolt.
Come Game Two, the 29-year-old unloaded 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, season-high 13 rebounds, and five assists without committing a single turnover.
Moreover, he helped the Super Crunch-backed squad to advance to the semifinals after squeaking out an 86-78 victory over the Kuyas.
“Work hard lang ako palagi. I don’t mind the statistics, bonus na lang ‘yun eh. Basta ang mindset namin dito, winning,” closed Sedurifa, vowing to remain unperturbed up against the highly-touted Manila-Frontrow squad, who rolled to the semis after an 82-80 win over Pasig-Sta. Lucia earlier.
Story by Justin Valencia
Photo by Thel Suliva
