Sidney Onwubere attacks Rod Ebondo and the Cafe France defense. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
It’s not every day that you see Sidney Onwubere shooting the lights out from rainbow country.
But when he does, the Fil-Nigerian forward makes sure that he gets the win for his side.
On Tuesday, the Emilio Aguinaldo standout drilled the back-breaking trey to win the game for Racal, 88-86, and deliver a 1-0 lead in their 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup semifinals series against Cafe France.
READ: D-League: Onwubere saves Racal for 1-0 semis lead
“The coaches just told me, ’Sid, this is for your family and for your team. Do this for your future.’ I just wanted to step up,” he said.
And Onwubere did, drilling the shot from 25-feet out from an inbound pass from Allan Mangahas to save the day for the Tile Masters.
His game-winner was just the fitting end to his memorable outing, as he shot 5-of-10 from three to finish with 24 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the victory.
But Onwubere bared that his hot shooting is not just one off, saying that has put in the work enhance his range.
“I put time on my shooting. The coaches told me that I have to develop that if I want to progress in the pros. They gave me tons of confidence and I’m truly thankful for that,” he said.
Despite the win, Onwubere resisted celebrating too much with the job still not over as Racal needs another win to clinch the Finals berth.
“The coaching staff tells us that if we get Game 1, we’re already leading,” he said. “But for me, I just want to show what I can do. I want to give my best since this is my first time playing in the D-League.”
The Tile Masters seek to advance to the Finals when they meet the Bakers anew on Thursday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.