Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times
2018 pba philippine cup qf – magnolia def globalport – mark barroca 1
2018 pba philippine cup qf – magnolia def globalport – mark barroca 1

Basketball

Mark Barroca breaths sigh of relief: ‘Parang nagchampion nga kami nung nanalo’


Mark Barroca felt as if a huge weight was taken off his chest, after he and the Magnolia Hotshots were able escape the clutches of a gutsy GlobalPort Batang Pier side, 86-79, in their playoff clash Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Magnolia almost blew their win-once incentive to the Batang Pier, when the latter zoomed to a 26-6 lead early. They raced back and led by 12 in the fourth, but had to hang on to it as GlobalPort surged late and closed by four.

“Masarap na nanalo. Happy kami. Parang nagchampion nga kami nung nanalo kami eh. Grabe,” said Barroca, who top-billed for the Hotshots with 17 points and three assists.

“‘Di [talaga] basta-basta makapasok ng semis.”

Asked what the key was that led to the victory, Barroca believes that physicality played a major key in it.2018-pba-philippine-cup-qf-magnolia-def-globalport-mark-barroca Mark Barroca breaths sigh of relief: 'Parang nagchampion nga kami nung nanalo' Basketball News PBA  - philippine sports news

“Key doon is physicality,” shared the native of Zamboanga. “Kasi yung Global pisikal sila eh. Kami nagfocus kami sa referee nung una, reklamo kami, parang nawala si coach (Chito Victoleto) din. So nagregroup kami na ‘sige maglaro lang tayo, magpisikal din tayo.’

“Yun, balik depensa kami, nagpressure kami ulit, nakabalik kami.”

And that kind of physicality they had experienced from the Batang Pier, the 5-foot-10 guard thinks, will be one of the lessons that they can bring to the 2018 Philippine Cup semifinals, where they will face either NLEX or Alaska.

“Yun nga yung ano sa playoffs, ‘di ba. Grabe na yung physicality. Yung contact andyan na, hinahayaan na ng referees. Normal lang siguro pag playoffs talaga,” said the seven-year pro. “‘Pag playoffs, iba na talaga.”

Eyes will now be on the Hotshots if they can put an end to their Finals drought this season. But even with the odds seemingly in their favor due to the way they have been running things, Barroca doesn’t want to think ahead.

#ReadMore  GlobalPort ships Terrence Romeo to TNT

“‘Di pa naman namin tinitignan yung Finals. Ang goal namin is makabalik ng semifinals, pero ngayon yung goal lang namin is to take it one game at a time lang. Kasi mahirap umisip kaagad eh,” Barroca warned.

“Yan yung iniisip namin last conference eh, maka-Finals kami. Lahat ng semifinals namin, Finals ang iniisip namin. Siguro ngayon mas naging matured kami,” he added.

“One game at a time naman.”

Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

Magnolia extinguished one of the hottest streaks in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup following a 108-102 win over Rain or Shine in a...

Basketball

Paul Lee inched closer to achieving another personal milestone as Magnolia got past the hungry Blackwater, 81-77, for their third straight win in the...

Basketball

Jerrick Balanza’s only concern is finding his place in Magnolia after playing his first game with the perennial contenders on Sunday. The 27-year-old winger...

Basketball

Magnolia regained its identity in the second half and turned back the upset-seeking Phoenix, 107-93, to register back-to-back wins for the first time in...

Basketball

Jerrick Balanza’s reunion with Aldin Ayo has come to an unexpected end after just 15 months. The seasoned forward has bid farewell to Converge,...

Basketball

Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero is glad to have Calvin Abueva back in the fold after missing his services due to a PBA-imposed one-game...

Basketball

Mark Barroca struck the dagger as Magnolia outlasted NorthPort in a down-the-wire encounter, 104-97, to lay its two-game skid to rest in the PBA...

Basketball

Mark Barroca has no intentions of sitting out games for Magnolia in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup despite nursing a sprained right wrist....

Advertisement