Following a stinging loss to the Meralco Bolts in their 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup debut last Saturday, Romeo Travis simply hoped that it would be a lesson for defending champs Magnolia Hotshots.
“Every loss can be a lesson,” said the import. “Don’t just lose for no reason. If you lose and you learn something, that’s okay.
“But if you lose and you don’t learn anything, that’s a true loss.”
Friday evening marked the Hotshots’ return to action, as they went up against the NorthPort Batang Pier. And as the final buzzer sounded, Travis delighted in the result.
Magnolia had won via lopsided fashion, 96-80. And Travis is happy with how the team responded from last week’s defeat.
“I’m happy with how we picked up our defense and how we bounced back,” said Travis, who flirted with a triple-double in the win to finish with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
Defense really was the key for Magnolia in the victory, as they limited NorthPort to a measly eight points in the second frame alone while exploding for 37 to break the game open.
“We just played great defense,” he said. “We started off slow again (16-23 at the end of the first quarter), but we picked up our defense in the second quarter and we continued that throughout the game.”
Now, Travis hopes that they can sustain their performance from Friday as the conference goes along.
“If we can continue that energy and effort throughout the rest of this conference, we’ll be a team in the playoffs and we can go fight for a championship.”
