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| Orlan Wamar |
San Juan-Go for Gold AICC rode on the hot shooting of Orlan Wamar to secure a 97-64 victory over Val City -MJAS Zenith to kick off their campaign at the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Wamar dropped seventeen of his game-high 27 points in the first half, including five triples to help the Knights erect a 47-26 lead into the break. The team eventually finished with 50.7% shooting, with 29 of the 35 field goal conversions being assisted.
Tagged as one of the favorites, San Juan head coach Randy Alcantara played down the expectations. He shared to the media after the game, "Hindi naman kami favorite, siguro na-hype lang. Ayaw namin lagay sa ulo namin 'yun at kailangan namin trabahuin namin yun."
He adds, "Tulad dito sa Valenzuela, nakauna lang kami pero kung hindi, may paglalagyan kami."
Supporting Wamar are Arvin Gamboa and Jason Melano, who each contributed eleven points. The latter also added eight rebounds, while Mon Abudo chipped in six points and eight dimes.
Val City struggled against the Knights from the tip, limited to just eight points in the first quarter. They would finish with just 37.5 percent shooting. Kevin Villafranca and Patrick Cabahug combined to go 12/29 from the field and 27 points. Andrey Armenion dished out eleven assists and Reeve Ugsang grabbed eleven boards.
San Juan looks to make it back-to-back wins in the Invitational against Sarangani on Monday at 5pm, while Val City gets a couple of days off before facing Muntinlupa on Tuesday at 230pm.
Alcantara notes, "Sa format ng liga na ito, kailangan ready talaga yung mga players para umabot sa dulo. Walang mahina na grupo at hindi mo alam sino mananalo kada game. Sa amin, kailangan namin magpakondisyon at i-ready namin yung mga players sa mga susunod-sunod na laro."
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