Tony Semerad didn’t have one of his long-time on-court rivals when NLEX battled a depleted Magnolia in Saturday night’s PBA Philippine Cup action.
The Road Warriors took on a Hotshots side that did not have star forward Calvin Abueva, who served a one-game suspension imposed by the Commissioner’s Office for flipping off a fan in their game against Ginebra last March 31.
His absence also robbed the fans of another meeting between him and the Fil-Aussie forward, both of whom have a long-standing hardcourt beef that dates way back from their time in the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the Philippines.
But definitely, it was a welcome development for NLEX, and Semerad himself admitted that he made the most out of the ‘Beast’ being away.
“He wasn’t there today so I took advantage,” he said smiling moments after their 87-74 wire-to-wire win at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Without a pesky defender in front of him, the 32-year-old finished with 22 points on 53-percent shooting from the field, including a 5-of-9 clip from deep. He also had 10 rebounds, an assist, and a pair of steals in 39 minutes.
He equaled the third-highest scoring output of his career. It was his most in a game, too, since dropping 22 as well in an 81-80 win over Meralco in Game 1 of the 2021 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
“It was big,” Semerad said of Abueva’s absence. “He’s a great player. He’s strong. Every time we play against each other, it’s a battle.”
But he will never be shying away from the two-time BPC should they cross paths again next time, whenever it may be, Semerad clarified.
“Why not? I’m always ready,” he said.
