For Allyn Bulanadi, there’s no one to blame but themselves, as he and Che’lu-San Sebastian Revellers let slip the opportunity to bag home the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown on Thursday.
The Revellers only needed one win to claim the coveted title, but newly-minted conference Most Valuable Player CJ Perez and the Zark’s-Lyceum Jawbreakers spoiled their aspirations through a 98-90 victory.
“Sarili namin ang tumalo sa’min,” lamented Bulanadi, who set the pace for Che’lu with 23 points and 10 rebounds. “Kung titignan naman daw po yung stats, lamang naman kami all through out eh.
“Sarili lang talaga.”
The numbers were truly in favor of the Revellers in a handful of aspects. They reigned supreme on the glass, 67-44; scored greatly off second chances, 30-8; and converted much better inside the shaded lane, 52-39.
But the Jawbreakers made it feel as if they have everything under control — it was evident right from the get-go, as Zark’s-Lyceum went off to a fiery 21-8 start and led by as much as 20, 52-35, at the end of the first half.
Asked how the team’s mood has been after the loss, Bulanadi says that nobody has pushed the panic button yet.
“Medyo okay pa naman.
“Masyado lang daw gigil kanina, gusto manalo agad,” shared the lanky guard-forward, who is celebrating his 20th birthday on Saturday.
Now, Bulanadi and the Revellers are moving on from the loss, and are setting their sights on next week’s Game Three. And for the cager from Davao, one of their objectives in the next days is getting their three-point rhythm back.
Che’lu-San Sebastian only made seven of the 36 shots they took from beyond the arc, far from the 40 percent outside shooting clip they made in Game One last Tuesday.
“Yung adjustment namin yung outside shooting namin — medyo maalat eh,” said Bulanadi, who went a dismal 3-of-10 from rainbow country.
“Sa practice mag-extra shooting kami”
