‘Wear them proud’ | Inquirer Sports

‘Wear them proud’

Petron coach says no reason to sulk over end of finals appearance run
/ 05:30 AM August 25, 2019

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

At the end of their “most challenging conference,” the Petron Blaze Spikers raised a trophy and donned their medals. But unlike the previous two seasons, they were of a different size and a different color.

Shaq delos Santos, Petron’s coach who steered the franchise to eight straight conference finals appearances starting in 2016, was telling the whole team “to wear them proud.”

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They should, as the fallen champs worked extra for that bronze, coming from behind to frustrate the Foton Tornadoes, 28-26, 25-27, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12, Saturday night in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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With six championships and an A-list roster, Petron has defined the term “super-team” in the league, something the franchise carried with pride over the past few seasons.

But losing to Cignal HD in the semifinals will leave a scar that the Blaze Spikers hope to wear like a badge of honor.

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“It was unexpected. But I guess we learned to always be ready for all possibilities,” said Delos Santos in Filipino. “And now I feel that team is more solid. It’s important that we remain a solid team, especially when we lose.

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Delos Santos said losing to the HD Spikers—despite a twice-to-beat armor—came as a “big shock” for them.

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But after the defeat last Thursday, the mentor who is known for his extraordinary cool demeanor, told his team at the locker room: “We should leave this room with heads held high.”

Sisi Rondina scored four of the Blaze Spikers’ last five points as they raced from 9-11 down in the fifth set to nail the victory at the packed Big Dome.

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The flashy spiker from University of Santo Tomas said she has come to terms with losing the semifinals to Cignal HD, saying the third-place finish should help the team move on.

“I have poured all my heart aches to (Bernadeth) Pons. I have accepted it. It happened for a reason,” said Rondina, who finished with 33 points.

Ces Molina added 15 points, while Mika Reyes and Aiza Pontillas added 11 each.

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“I told Pons let’s win this one, because this is our last game,” said Rondina. “After this we get to do it again next conference.”

TAGS: Petron Blaze Spikers, Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference, Shaq delos Santos, Sisi Rondina, Sports, Volleyball

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