Victolero, Magnolia undeterred by shock loss to Meralco as path to top 4 still clear

ANTIPOLO—Magnolia’s 94-88 loss to downtrodden Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup sure gave Chito Victolero things to ponder on, but it wasn’t enough to rough up the team’s morale.

The topseeded Hotshots held a half-game lead over Barangay Ginebra prior to their game against the Bolts on Friday at Ynares Center here, but the surprising setback pulled them to a tie at 7-2.

But Victolero was unbothered with the outcome knowing they can still clinch a twice-to-beat advantage, which is given to the top four teams, for the quarterfinals.

“Our chance is still on our hands,” said Victolero, whose team will still face TNT and the Gin Kings,  in Filipino.

“We won’t rely on other teams to lose, and I think we just need one win in our remaining two games to secure our spot in the top four,” he said. “Still, our goal is to win those two games.”