There was no hint of disappointment in the face of Petron coach Shaq delos Santos even after Blaze Spikers’ fell to F2 Logistics in Game 2 of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference Finals Tuesday night.
Of course, delos Santos and the rest of the Blaze Spikers would’ve wanted a sweep and repeat as champions instead of figuring in a pressure-packed knockout duel in Game 3 on Thursday night for the crown.
But Petron was quick to put the loss behind and still look at the bright side.
“We just stay positive and I told them that there’s no reason for us to feel ashamed for losing. It’s part of the game and it’s a great challenge for us,” said delos Santos in Filipino after Petron fell, 25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 17-25. “The series is just tied. We’ll be ready to give our best on Thursday.”
“I just told them we need to show our game. We struggled and I think this game is not really for us and it’s just the willingness of F2 to win,” he added. “We just need to accept this loss.”
Petron lost for the first time this conference after going 13-0 and delos Santos felt the setback was necessary in order for the Blaze Spikers to get the job done.
“It was a wakeup call for us. We need to experience this for us to put more effort and work harder.”