By REYNALD MAGALLON
An ugly win still counts as a win.
Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero did not mind barely escaping disaster the still winless Terrafirma, stressing the importance of keeping their focus especially now that they are trying to keep their spot inside the Group A top four.
The Hotshots, pegged as one of the favorites in their group at the start of the season, have yet to really live up to the expectations so far and the game against the shorthanded Dyip typified the shaky campaign for the team.
While Magnolia came up with a nail-biting 99-98 win, it needed big plays from Zav Lucero, Paul Lee and Shabazz Muhammad to finally shake off Terrafirma, which was missing its stars Christian Standhardinger and Juami Tiongson.
The Dyip even had the lead in the last 15.6 seconds after a gutsy trey from rookie Paolo Hernandez before Muhammad provided the much-needed answer for the Hotshots with a clutch runner.
“I know it’s an ugly win but I will take it. One point, two points, 10 points, 20 points. I will take it as long as we win the game and we’re battling every possession,” said Victolero after the game.
The win, no matter how they got it, was still crucial to the Hotshots’ playoff bid as it kept them at the third spot with a 4-3 record and created some breathing room from the other playoff-chasing teams in the NorthPort Batang Pier and Converge FiberXers, both with identical 3-4 records.
For one, the road isn’t getting easier for Magnolia as it takes on pacesetter TNT on Tuesday before facing NorthPort and Converge to wrap up the eliminations.
“It’s a big win for us. We are trying to separate (ourselves) from the other teams and I think our game on Tuesday is very crucial. The goal is to go to the quarters, either 1 to 4, I don’t care, basta nandun kami,” said Victolero.
“We just try to win every game as much as possible,” he added.
Apart from that, Victolero is also looking at the remaining games to better integrate Muhammad into their system.
“Kailangan pa namin sigurong makilala si Shabazz because he’s only been here five days and complete practice palang namin sa kanya parang two days palang. We’re very patient, hopefully we can adjust,” he added.
