Big game from Lyceum’s Adrian Alban. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Lyceum didn’t just play for the the numbers on Friday.
Coach Topex Robinson told his players before the game to dig deep and think about who they play for as the Pirates remained in search for their first win in the NCAA Season 92.
“Before the game, I told them about dedication, kung kanino nila ide-dedicate yung game na ito and it’s all about that,” he said. “As much as we want to talk about the stats and plays of JRU, we talked about how we are so blessed with our situation, that they have teams, that their parents and relatives are proud of them.”
READ: NCAA: Rookie Alban leads Lyceum in shocker over JRU
And one of the guys to heed the call was Adrian Alban.
The little known guard from Tondo stunned the Heavy Bombers, taking the cudgels in the end game and scoring six of the Pirates’ final 11 points to nail the 69-66 win.
“Sinunod ko lang yung sinabi ni coach,” he said.
Dedicating the game to her departed grandmother, Alban mustered enough strength to rise above the adversity and give the Pirates their first win in four games.
“Inisip ko na lang yung lola ko. Para sa kanya to,” he said.
And it worked wonders, as Alban finished the game with 19 points and three rebounds.
“Sinasabi nga ni coach, kumpyansa lang kaya puro shoot na yung tira ko. So every time na nagda-drive ako, confidence lang. Nag-step up talaga ako,” he said.
“It’s just the will to win. We dug deep in our souls and hopefully, this will be the start of our winning ways,” Robinson said.