Kevin Alas was the only local to score in double figures for NLEX in Game One of their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series versus Barangay Ginebra.
And that’s exactly where the problem lies. Head coach Yeng Guiao lamented the support or the lack thereof from the other Road Warriors, which definitely factored in their 86-95 defeat on Wednesday night.
“We will have to find a way to get our other locals involved in scoring,” said the straightforward mentor after the match at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Import Cameron Clark led the way for NLEX with 30 points and 13 rebounds, but none outside of him and Alas contributed that much in the match.
JR Quinahan and Tony Semerad, for instance, scored just eight points apiece. The veteran forwards shot a combined 7-of-16 from the floor.
Don Trollano, one of their top scorers in this conference with an average of 10.8 markers, only scored six. Streaky shooter Kris Rosales only had three.
Photo by PBA Images
“Naka-trenta naman ‘yung import namin e, so usually ‘pag nakaka-trenta ‘yung import namin, we should be in the game all the way to the end,” Guiao said.
Well, the Road Warriors were there at the end, when Clark tied the game up at 78-all following a lay-up with 6:50 remaining in the final period.
Unfortunately, Guiao’s wards could not buy a bucket in the next five minutes. Ginebra, on the other hand, unloaded a fiery 15-0 blitzkrieg.
Alas was able to end the dry spell with 1:03 left in the game, but the defending champions were already ahead by 13 at that point.
“Seventy-eight, ‘no? Seventy-eight-all, tapos hindi na kami naka-shoot,” Guiao recalled.
“Naka-dalawa, tatlong tres yata sila, ‘no. We had the chance to win at that point, but ;yun nga, our offense dried up.”
The champion mentor mentioned a litany of things that they would need to fix for Friday, like shooting well from three-point distance after going just 6-of-32 and not allowing them to be outrebounded by the opposition (44-54).
But on top of it, definitely, is to see better production from the locals. “Eighty points, thirty points from the import, I think it’s a fair production so we just have to ask, find a way four our locals to contribute on scoring,” he said.
Alas, on the other hand, joined Guiao’s call, warning that NLEX may get swept if they won’t be able to get their act together in the next game.
“Kailangan mag-step up talaga yung other locals kasi sabi nga ni coach Yeng, we cannot rely alone on Cam because he’s going to produce his numbers, but kami dapat produce din yung mga locals,” the BPC contender said.
“We have to do a better job pagdating sa Friday kasi, or find other ways, because ‘pag hindi gumanda ‘yung offensive schemes namin and ‘yung depensa namin, baka ma-sweep kami rito.”
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