Mark Barroca leads Magnolia. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
It didn’t matter if it had the luxury of a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs, Magnolia was determined to move on to the semifinals as quick as it could.
But the second seed Hotshots had to dig deep to shake off the seventh-place Batang Pier, who came out firing in their upset bid with a 26-6 start, in their 2018 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal duel Tuesday night.
Magnolia, though, found the spark in old reliable Mark Barroca, who managed to calm his team despite the 20-point deficit, which allowed the Hotshots to storm back into the game.
“If you’d look at it as a 20-point deficit, it’s going to be hard. But coach told us to continue chipping the lead away,” the 31-year-old guard said. “We were able to trim it down to 10, but they had a run before the end of the first half. Still, we focused to get some stops until eventually, we were surprised that we’re already closing in on them in the third quarter and got the lead through our defense.”
.@M_Hotshots’ Mark Barroca shares how his team fought from 20 points down and pulled off the tough qf victory vs GlobalPort. #PBA2018 pic.twitter.com/PAmLfPCdMl
— Randolph B. Leongson (@RLeongsonINQ) March 6, 2018
Barroca’s three at the 3:20 mark of the third quarter gave it its first taste of the lead, 54-53 and the rest was history as the Hotshots cruised to the 86-79 victory.
Barroca was instrumental in the turnaround, finishing with 17 points, three assists, and two rebounds to lead Magnolia.
The former FEU playmaker said the game served as an eye-opener for the Hotshots in this crucial stretch.
“It’s the playoffs. The physicality is already heightened and we have to adjust,” he said. “We focused on the referees and the calls to start the game and we were lost on that. But once we adjusted and played physical, got our defense and pressure done, that’s when we made our run.”
And Magnolia will be banking on those learnings as it looks to be more than just a part of the Final Four.
“Now, we’re more matured. We’re not looking at the Finals yet. That’s what we’re thinking about last season. But now, we’re taking it one game at a time. We can’t get too ahead of ourselves. The game in the playoffs is different so you have to be prepared at all times,” he said.