By: Bjorn Del Deade
Defending champions San Beda Red Lions crumbled against the College of Saint Benilde Blazers in overtime yesterday, marking their first loss of the season.
Despite the tough loss, San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta downplayed the idea of it being a wake-up call. For him, every game is an opportunity for growth, win or lose.
“Di ako masyadong naniniwala sa wake-up call. Kasi ang goal mo is always, whether you win or you lose, is to get better,” Escueta explained.
“Pag natalo ka lang ba, doon ka lang magigising? Kahit manalo ka, kailangan may wake-up call ka pa rin. What you can improve on. Pag di ka nagising, mahirap ‘yon.”
Escueta attributed the loss to poor shot selection and missed free throws, which proved costly in their 70-65 defeat.
San Beda struggled offensively, shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and converting only six of their 21 three-point attempts (22.2 percent). At the free-throw line, they made 11 of 24, but missed seven crucial attempts in overtime.
“We have to give time to focus on our free throws and composure towards the end,” Escueta emphasized.
Team captain James Payosing echoed his coach’s sentiments, expressing disappointment with their preparation, which he felt was not up to par for a defending champion.
“Okay naman kaso pangit yung preparation namin kahapon. The way we prepared a few days ago, hindi pang champion team. Walang sign na kaya naming idefend yung title,” Payosing said.
“Ang gagawin talaga ng team, yun nga, magising kami ngayon. Every game, na pupunta kami, dapat prepared kami, na hina-hunt talaga kami. And that’s a good thing.”
Looking ahead to their next matchup against San Sebastian on Saturday, Sept. 14, Escueta stressed that the team’s approach remains the same: consistently evaluating and improving their performance.
“Our main goal is always to assess our performance and see how we can improve from our last game. Ganon lang kami lagi,” Escueta stated.
“The season is long. There’s no point in dwelling on defeats, so as long as we keep moving on and keep getting better. ‘Yon lang ang focus namin.”
