After Game 1 rout, Blaze Spikers still got more to give

There is no way Petron is taking any chances.

After whipping F2 Logistics in the opener of their Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference best-of-three finals, Petron coach Shaq delos Santos said they are going back to the drawing board and think of ways to answer their opponent’s expected counterattacks.

“We know that they will come back strong, we know how they work,” said Delos Santos, whose squad scored a 25-23, 25-11, 25-17 win on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena to move just a win away from a perfect conference.

But even in the cusp of a historic repeat, the Petron mentor said they could still do better.

“We don’t think of the sweep. Right now, we rest and try to recover and then give it our all on Game 2 [on Tuesday],” added Delos Santos. “But for tonight (Game 1), I’m very proud of the way my players performed.”

Sisi Rondina scored 12 points for Petron’s 13th victory in as many games this conference. The high-leaping Rondina was a big factor off the bench to halt Rhea Dimaculangan’s combination plays. Bernadeth Pons added 10, while middle hitter Remy Palma had nine.

In contrast, F2 Logistics didn’t have anyone scoring in double figures, stymied by Petron’s well-placed floor defense that yielded 79 excellent digs compare to 54 by the Cargo Movers.

Delos Santos may have learned his lessons during last year’s Grand Prix final when F2 coach Ramil de Jesus tweaked his lineup which threw off the Blaze Spikers’ game plan.

“We go back and study Game 1 and see how much we can still improve,” added Delos Santos, the national team mentor.

The Cargo Movers leaned heavily on Ara Galang who banged in nine points but could not get the usual numbers from Kim Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron, who were limited to a combined seven points.

F2 team leaders Aby Maraño and Cha Cruz were also silent, scoring a total of six points, aside from making 27 errors against Petron’s 16.

Game 2 is slated Tuesday at 7 p.m., also at MOA Arena.