Heruela, Ganuelas-Rosser, Espinas make presence felt
By Jonas Terrado
The common belief that the San Miguel Beermen are just a team known for relying on their fabulous five best players was broken anew Sunday night when three reserves played a major role in creating separation from the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok and gain a 2-1 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Brian Heruela, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Gabby Espinas allowed June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross and Alex Cabagnot to get a much-needed breather while teaming up with starters Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos in a telling fourth quarter breakaway that propelled the Beermen to a 111-87 win over the Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Heruela scored eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, half of which came in a decisive 17-3 run which saw San Miguel more than double its 75-68 lead after three periods for a 92-71 advantage, leaving Magnolia a deflated bunch.
Ganuelas-Rosser remained the most consistent backup for the Beermen this conference with five points, five rebounds and two blocks even as Espinas had nine points and two rebounds, joining forces with Fajardo and Billy Mamaril in making life miserable for the Hotshots’ Game 1 hero Ian Sangalang throughout the contest.
Sangalang scored just six points on 2-of-10 shooting after putting up 29 and 11 in the first two games.
No one was obviously happier with the way the bench performed than Fajardo, who never returned after coach Leo Austria thought it was appropriate to let his seldom-used players finish the game and the outcome already decided.
“Maganda kasi yung nilaro ng second group namin, nabigyan kami ng pahinga,” said Fajardo, who played 33 of the game’s first 36 minutes before the bench stepped up. “Credit sa kanila, and credit din sa mga coaching staff dahil ang ganda ng naging adjustment namin noong break namin.”
Bench production is something the Beermen have finally restored after the stunning 105-103 loss in Game 1 saw just one bench point, which incidentally came from regular starter Ross, who was given limited rest due to his strained right thigh.
Heruela, Fajardo’s former college teammate at the University of Cebu, has become a key factor for San Miguel in the championship series.
Heruela’s presence has increased since San Miguel’s 92-77 victory in Game 2 where he scored 10 points in 15 minutes.
The 5-foot-10 playmaker is no stranger to playing big minutes, having posted 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals during his rookie season with Blackwater in 2015.
“Coach told us, the guys at the bench has to stay ready,” said Heruela. “We’re trying to contribute whichever way we can on the floor. Our guys’ mindset is to make stops. Good thing we were able to execute, put some points on the board and contribute to our team.”
Espinas, the 12-year veteran, may not replicate the Easter Sunday showing for the rest of the finals but he expressed readiness in case Austria calls his name yet again.
“As one of the veterans, siguro dapat prepared ka na sa mga ganitong laban. Bubunutin ka ngayon tapos next game wala,” Espinas said. “Kailangan talaga yung mindset mo, hindi ka man gamitin ngayon, ready ka pa rin.”
