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Olmin Leyba - The Philippine Star
April 6, 2025 | 12:00am
Ian Sangalang of Magnolia scores unmolested against Blackwater last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Title-less since 2018 and out early in the playoffs of the last three conferences, Magnolia views the PBA Philippine Cup as a redemption campaign.
And if their fiery performance in their 106-84 rout over Blackwater is an indication, the Hotshots mean serious business to snap out of their funk in the season-ending tourney.
“We had four weeks of preparation for this conference at ang ganda ng preparation na ‘yun,” said coach Chito Victolero after Magnolia’s kickoff win at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last night.
“We focused on our defense and ball movement and it showed in this game. We limited them to under 90 points and we had more than 20 assists,” he noted.
Zav Lucero led the march of heroes for the Hotshots, firing 21 on an 8-of-11 field goal shooting and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench.
Ian Sangalang dished out a solid 15-10 double-double as Mark Barroca had 14 and Jerom Lastimosa and Calvin Abueva netted 13 apiece.
The next task for the Hotshots is to pick up from this triumphant start and avoid a repeat of the Commissioner’s Cup experience. In the previous mid-season meet, the Hotshots won their opener incidentally against the Bossing also, but lost their next four games and needed a late charge to secure a Last-8 seat.
“We talked about starting strong and sustaining it for this conference. Hopefully the players learned from the experience of the last conference,” said Victolero.
San Miguel Beer also posted a triumphant conference debut, beating NLEX in the nightcap, 98-89.
The Beermen blew a 15-point lead but regrouped and unleashed a 13-4 closing barrage to seal the deal.
