MUST PLAY SMART: USC coach needs team to be mentally tough against UV in Finals
Rey Suerte of UV tries to box out Maverick Fitz Suares of USC in Game 2 of the Cesafi men’s basketball finals at the Cebu Coliseum.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON
Game Thursday:
Cebu Coliseum
Game 2, Finals
6 p.m. – USC vs UV
It took all of a minute for the University of San Carlos (USC) head coach Britt Reroma to realize that it was going to be a long night for him and the rest of his Warriors in Game Two of the 15th Cesafi men’s basketball finals on Tuesday.
On their very first possession of the game, power forward Charles Pepito got into a bit of a verbal tussle with University of the Visayas (UV) guard Jun Manzo. A few seconds later, Reroma yanked Pepito out of the game. The strapping power forward, who had previously averaged a double-double, ended up with his worst performance of the season with just three points across his name and a mere seven rebounds.
The Warriors suffered for it as they ended up losing to the Green Lancers, 63-70, thus evening has been a very intense Cesafi finals series at 1-1 heading to the pivotal Game Three Thursday night at the Cebu Coliseum.
“In every championship series, mental toughness is very important. That’s the key for this game. We weren’t mentally prepared to play in Game Two,” lamented Reroma of his team’s various emotional outbursts, which included unsportsmanlike fouls called on reserve guard Christian Macononcido and the usually unflappable Shooster Olago, who was caught giving his UV counterpart Steve Akomo a kick.
“We need to learn from a tough loss. Adjustment-wise, we must be mentally ready come Game Three. We need to win the rebounding battle to stop their transition offense,” shared the multi-titled head coach of the San Beda Red Cubs in the NCAA.
On the other side of the fence, UV head coach Gary Cortes expressed his satisfaction with how his team is performing in the finals, in spite losing the series-opener, 70-76.
“The players are peaking at this stage, which is good,” said the even-keeled Cortes of his team that missed top wingman Leonard Santillan in Games One and Two due to a bum ankle.
Santillan’s absence has been filled in admirably by fiery guard Jun Manzo, who is averaging 20.5 points per game in the finals.
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