SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – There wasn’t any extra motivation whatsoever for Roger Pogoy when TNT took on Alaska in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals Saturday, except for the drive to deliver in every given night.
That’s what the 6-foot-2 gunslinger made clear when he waxed hot for 34 big points on 9-of-15 shooting versus the Aces, powering the Tropang Giga to a dominant 104-83 victory to become an early entrant into the semifinals.
Pogoy — who laced his performance with eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals — pulled off the scoring explosion against the very same team he torched for 45 points back in the season resumption last Oct. 11.
“Nagkakataon lang talaga,” the former FEU stalwart told Tiebreaker Times. “Every game naman dapat magpakita ka, maglaro ka talaga.
“Nagkataon lang talaga maganda yung laro ko ‘pag kalaban Alaska.”
And as impressive as he was, Pogoy finds more satisfaction with the fact that the flagship MVP franchise is heading back to the semis of the all-Filipino conference after three years — quite a long drought in TNT’s standards.
The Tropa last reached the said stage in 2017, when the team was still being mentored by current Blackwater head coach Nash Racela. Pogoy, meanwhile, was just in his rookie year back then.
“Masaya kami na pumasok na kami ulit sa semis,” expressed the Cebuano cager, who belongs to the special Gilas draft class of 2016. “Ang tagal na naming hindi naka-semis. Palagi kaming talo ‘pag all-Filipino.”
Still, Pogoy’s sights remain locked in on the bigger picture, insisting that TNT has just checked off one goal in its list.
The Tropang Giga now await the winner of the Phoenix Super LPG-Magnolia series for their foes in the best-of-five semis. And either of the two would definitely make it rough for them in their title aspirations.
“Nakuha na namin yung goal namin na makapunta sa semis. Pero hindi pa tapos ang trabaho. Isang goal lang yun.”
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