SAN MIGUEL WARY OF MAGNOLIA THREAT, SAYS GALLENT

SAN Miguel coach Jorge Gallent expects his players to be up to the task when the Beermen go up against Magnolia in a pivotal match-up on Friday in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup.

It will be the first time for San Miguel and Magnolia to face off since the Commissioner’s Cup Finals, where the Beermen beat the Hotshots in six games last February with CJ Perez capturing the Finals MVP.

SMB considers Magnolia dangerous and the Beermen are definitely not taking any chances.

"We just have to treat Magnolia as a team that is a threat to us," said Gallent. "They are also trying to get that twice-to-beat advantage. I’m sure that’s also in their minds."

The Beermen and the Hotshots are in the top two in the standings of the Philippine Cup.

San Miguel is, of course, the only unbeaten team in the tournament after racking up seven straight wins, and there is already talk about its capability to sweep the elimination round.

Magnolia, however, is the second hottest team in the league with four straight wins to move up to second spot with a 5-2 win-loss record.

Gallent noted the importance of going with their strengths against Magnolia.

"We just have to play well and we just have to do the things that we have to do to beat a team like Magnolia. They are on a four-game winning streak. On Friday, sino ang streak ang matatapos? It’s either ours or theirs," said Gallent.

The Beermen defeated NorthPort, 120-100, last Sunday to capture a quarterfinals berth, while the Hotshots overcame Rain or Shine, 108-102, last Saturday in Tiaong, Quezon.

Recent games of Magnolia showed the solid showing of Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca. Sangalang is averaging 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game following his 25-point, 12-rebound outing against Rain or Shine during the out-of-town game, while Barroca is churning out 15.6 points and 5.7 assists an outing.

For Gallent, the focus is not just on the two players but on the entire team.

"I have players that can match the energy of Mark and the energy of Ian. I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about the Magnolia team itself," said Gallent.

2024-04-25T12:06:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd