Ian Sangalang
Ian Sangalang is glad to have plenty of help in putting Magnolia off to a 2-0 start that could serve as a good omen for the team moving forward in the PBA Philippine Cup.
“I’m thankful for those two,” Sangalang said after the Hotshots’ 83-71 win over the Converge FiberXers in the appetizer of the league’s 50th anniversary on Wednesday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The beanpole was referring to sophomore forward Zavier Lucero and seldom-used Russel Escoto, who also put his imprint on the win that put the Purefoods franchise, one of the oldest in the league, on top of the early stages of the all-Filipino tilt.
Lucero equaled Sangalang’s output with 18 points, while Escoto dropped all of his 11 in the second quarter, which allowed the Hotshots to secure the lead.
But in the end, Sangalang made sure Magnolia would sustain its edge, even against the younger frontline duo of Justin Arana and fellow Cabalen Justine Baltazar, with his trademark moves in the post.
“Yung laro nila lumalabas so lumuluwag ako sa ilalim (when they are playing well, they give me room to operate inside),” Sangalang said, adding that it was the main reason why he wound up getting Player of the Game honors.
Magnolia won back-to-back games to start the conference for the first time since the 2023-2024 Commissioner’s Cup. In the Philippine Cup, the Hotshots likewise had a similar start.
Magnolia reached the Finals on both occasions, only to finish second.
“It’s still early, but of course, it’s a good sign,” said coach Chito Victolero. “But, we’ll just take it one game at a time and prepare for the next game.”
The next game, on April 16, will be a tall order against San Miguel Beer, which was playing Meralco at press time with both clubs sporting retro-themed uniforms from the 1982 season as part of the league’s 50th anniversary celebration.
San Miguel is also seeking a 2-0 start at the expense of defending champion Meralco, out to stretch its unbeaten slate to three straight matches.
Converge fell to 1-2 despite a double-double each from Baltazar and Arana.
Arana posted 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Baltazar tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds for the FiberXers.
It was the first time Baltazar faced Sangalang and Calvin Abueva, also a fellow native of Pampanga, that was among the subplots heading into the match.
“It’s a difficult matchup, but it’s also motivated me because we all know what the work Balti did to get to this point,” said Sangalang.
“With the way they play, I had to respect them because they’re not kids anymore. They don’t play like kids so I needed to respect them,” he added. “If you don’t respect them, they’ll eat you alive. You saw how they played in the past few games.”
The golden anniversary was played before a good-sized crowd at the historic venue as fans took advantage of the P50 admission for lower box seats, P30 for general admission, and free entry for those born in 1975.
Printed T-shirts bearing the league’s 50th anniversary logo were also given to fans.