Even someone as seasoned as Norbert Torres finds it extremely challenging to fulfill the unenviable task of helping defend June Mar Fajardo.
His Ginebra took Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup best-of-7 semifinal battle against San Miguel on Sunday night, but the 11-year veteran left worn out after going up against the league’s only nine-time MVP.
“Super sore,” he said of his body moments after their 99-90 victory witnessed by a packed crowd at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Sore talaga. Kasi kahit 20 minutes against June Mar, it feels like 40 minutes. Very sore ‘yung katawan ko.”
The Kings have no choice but to gang up on the 6-foot-10 slotman without somebody to match up against him directly, and Torres is among the frontcourt pieces taking that assignment.
“Just ano, try to get as much less touches for June Mar,” he said, describing the kind of work Coach Tim Cone and the brain trust have assigned to them.
“But that’s a hard task saying that. More of just early contact, laging contact sa kanya and trying as much as possible not to give him the offensive rebound.”
Looking at the box scores alone would show that it is a difficult job to accomplish. Fajardo still finished with another 20-20 performance, as he registered 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting alongside 23 rebounds.
However, he was no longer that effective in the fourth quarter. After giving the Beermen a 79-78 lead with 9:30 remaining, he struggled to get his usual looks as the Barangay doubled him up in almost every possession.
Fajardo did score again at the 1:25 mark after a perfect trip to the line, but the game was all but settled by then as their foes were already leading by nine.
That was huge thanks to the efforts of their big men led by Torres, who not only made a mark defensively but on the other side of the floor as well.
The sweet-shooting bruiser actually keyed their early fourth-quarter push that swung the momentum in their favor for good. There, he joined hands with Ralph Cu for four straight three-pointers toward an 84-81 lead with 7:26 to go.
Torres went on to finish with eight points, on top of four rebounds and a steal in the 22 minutes and 42 seconds he saw action off the bench.
“That’s part of the game plan as well,” he said of those long shots, which contributed to the dozen treys Ginebra knocked down. “Just to stretch him out, para he’s not always in the paint. Good thing it went in in the fourth quarter.”
Torres deservingly earned plaudits from Cone, but as glad as they are, he expects a fightback from Fajardo & Co. come Game 2.
“It’s just gonna get harder. For sure, it’s gonna get harder,” the La Salle product said. “June Mar’s gonna come out stronger, they’re gonna look for him more.
“The other guys are gonna step up as well. They’re probably gonna make their shots and so we have to adjust to that.”
#WATCH: SUPER SORE🏀
Norbert Torres admits guarding June Mar Fajardo in Game 1 of the #PBA50 semis was a chore#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/4lhAVTnW3W
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/HUN0cGZzMW
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 4, 2026
