Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO — After seeing Magnolia’s five-game winning streak snapped, coach Chito Victolero owned up to his mistakes and took responsibility for the Hotshots’ 76-77 defeat to the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday.
“I had shortcomings when it comes to our adjustments. It was my fault,” Victolero said as the Hotshots blew a 13-point lead in the third quarter.
Grabbing the lead thanks to its gung-ho pace, Magnolia slowed things down which contributed to its detriment in the second half, allowing San Miguel to dictate the tempo and eventually, steal the game.
“We slowed our offense down, which is what San Miguel wants,” observed Victolero. “For the first three quarters, we kept on running. And then, we lost the lead in the fourth quarter when we made that adjustment. That’s clear with the players, plus we need to be disciplined towards in our executions in the end.”
Despite the tough loss, Victolero shared that the Hotshots are still upbeat going into their last three games of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup elimination round.
“We’re still positive because the guys are playing well. I just told them that we need to play together, and we need to experience these kind of games, these character-testing games going into the last phase of eliminations and going to the playoffs,” he said.
Good news for Magnolia is Paul Lee is likely to return for the Hotshots’ next game against Rain or Shine on Saturday.
“I think he’s ready for the next game,” said Victolero.