After a few games of testing and finding out the right player combination and plays, it looks like the Green and White is starting to change gear.
The long drive to Antipolo was worth it as the team outperformed themselves in the close win against the Falcons.
It seemed like it was the same problems haunted the team in the first quarter: turnovers, miscommunications, and offensive struggles. It looked like the team was out of sync, which may be coming from the enormous pressure on their shoulders. After all the Green Archers have never faced a losing record after the first 4 games. But I believe the team never had this much talent since our championship team in 2016.
The second quarter was a completely different story, as we outscored the Falcons 26 against 12. The rythm was there, the flow was there, and defensive stops were one after the other. You’d start to wonder if it’s the same team that lost to UE.
The team then weathered the third quarter storm of Adamson, hitting timely baskets to keep us afloat. In the end they had the gutsy win thanks to the captain (which I believed would be a far greater player this year than previous ones) who buried that 3 point arrows into the Falcons’ heart.
Bates is phenomenal on the boards. People are hard on him, he even made several turnovers during the game, but he made it up with the excellent effort on the boards and that Lebron-esque chasedown block.
The Chasedown@batesyy__ pic.twitter.com/VdprvgQkUf
— Go Archers (@GoArchers) September 23, 2019
Rotation on the guards was excellent, where Serrano, Cagulangan, and Meeker were great substitutes to Melecio and Caracut. Jamie Orme was settled, didn’t force anything, gave the ball back to the guards if he’s not open.
And Balti. Oh boy, Balti. I was in the impression that when he was against a foreign player, his post up game gets rattled. But I was dead wrong, as he toyed around Douanga, with his back to the basket, face up jumpers and more. Coach Gian is right: Balti is our import.
Bench came up big also. Lojera with the defensive stops, Manuel with the threes, Ralph Cu with the intangibles.
The takeaway from this game is the rotation. I believe coach JB has formulated the perfect rotation for the players, who now know their respective roles in the team.
With the team starting to get their groove, hopes are high that this will be the start of the turnaround. While we are in this process, I hope the fans join the process too. Through highs and lows, I pray we are still one La Salle.