Mark Barroca did not hide how frustrating it was for him and Magnolia to lose the way they did versus Meralco, barely 48 hours ago.
The Hotshots appeared on the way to extending their unbeaten run to five when they led by 13 points in the final two minutes. Then an uncharacteristic collapse took place, eventually leading to a 94-95 defeat.
“Sobrang frustrated namin pagkatapos,” said the veteran guard, who only had eight points in their first loss of the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup.
Head coach Chito Victolero also echoed his player’s sentiments. “Talagang very sad and frustrated kami noong after ng game,” he said.
“We controlled the game for 46 minutes, then in the last two minutes na-out of focus kami.”
But as the tried and tested team that they are, Magnolia instead used that setback as fuel to do better the following game. They showed how much they learned by way of a 94-78 conquest of Blackwater, Friday.
“Dinala namin yun dito sa game namin as motivation kasi nga ayaw namin mangyari ulit yun,” he said after the win at DHVSU Gym.
Barroca himself was among those who led the way for the Hotshots, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, on top of seven assists, two rebounds, and a steal in nearly 28 minutes off the bench.
The 35-year-old said that the squad simply recalled the positives of that loss to the Bolts while playing the Bossing, who dropped to 0-6.
“Nag-usap-usap lang kami. ‘Yung mga positive na nangyari doon, dadalhin lang namin sa next game namin,” said the 10-year pro, who is a native of Zamboanga City.
“So, natalo kami. So move forward. Nag-prepare kami sa next game namin, ngayon nanalo kami.”
For Barroca, mental fortitude is of utmost importance for Magnolia, especially at this point given the busy schedule they have this week. They will face TNT on Sunday, which will be their third game in five days.
“Alam naman namin ‘tong three games namin crucial ‘yung mindset, kasi every other day ‘yung games,” he said.
“So parang playoffs na.”
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