Ravena vows no letup for playoff-bound NLEX

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BOCAUE — NLEX may not acknowledge the Philippine Arena as its home court, but that won’t stop Kiefer Ravena from making it his house.

Playing for the second time inside the world’s largest indoor arena, the super rookie was sensational once again, going for 23 points, three rebounds, and three steals in the Road Warriors’ 93-90 victory over Blackwater on Sunday.

It’s just the kind of performance one could ask from Ravena, who had 22 points and five assists in NLEX’s 115-104 Christmas Day win against GlobalPort.

“It’s not so often that you play in this kind of atmosphere. It’s not everyday that the PBA plays here, so I’m making the most of the opportunity here and again, we’re just doing our job to make it to the next round,” he said.

Ravena’s explosive outing, which coincided with Kevin Alas catching fire from downtown in the payoff period, is just the kind of showing the Road Warriors need as they proceed to the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.

And with NLEX winning its last four games, the 24-year-old guard is hopeful that the team would be able to sustain its momentum going to the playoffs.

“It’s nice that anyone from the team can play well. Now, it’s Kevin and with that performance, it’s the right time for him to regain his confidence, the Kevin Alas of last year. For us, it’s always a good sign when other players step up. It’s huge when everybody’s contributing,” he said.

The job, however, isn’t over as the Road Warriors still have one last game scheduled on February 28 against TNT before the quarterfinals.

Despite NLEX already clinching a playoff berth, Ravena promised to have no letups as the team aims for a better seeding.

“We have TNT last game and you know they’re gonna fight for that spot. They’re not out yet, the odds are against them but for now, it’s all about positioning for us,” he said. “Even though we’re secured of the quarterfinals, we want to continue the momentum and finish as high as we can.”