Elite failed to recover from ‘sloppy’ start vs SMB

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Already up against a fancied foe, Blackwater made its predicament harder by coming out slow in its 118-93 loss to San Miguel on Friday.

That lackluster showing was further put in the spotlight as the Beermen took turns in eviscerating the Elite en route to a 29-point edge at one point in the first half.

And for reserve Raymond Aguilar, it’s definitely not the way  would like to play if you’re against a team as strong as San Miguel.

“Sloppy kasi yung first half namin. Medyo natambakan na kaya ang hirap habulin,” he said. “Pagpasok ko, walang gana. Ang lamig eh, tapos June Mar (Fajardo) agad ang katapat kaya ang bigat.”

(Our first half was sloppy. We got down early so it was hard to come back. When I entered, we were already demoralized. We’re cold, then I was matched up against June Mar so it was tough.)

With Blackwater’s key guys limited, Aguilar made the most out of his minutes and fired 15 points in the game, 10 coming in the fourth quarter, where the Elite pulled within 11, 101-90.

But it wasn’t too long before San Miguel stepped on the gas pedal anew and cruised to its fifth straight win.

“Yung laro namin nung second half, yun dapat ang nilaro namin nung first half. Nakahabol naman ng kaunti kaso kapos talaga (Our second half play should have been the way we played in the first half. We trimmed the lead down but it’s too late.),” said the veteran big man.

If there’s any silver lining for Blackwater, it’s that coach Leo Isaac can lean on a number of his reserves, with Aguilar and Roi Sumang stepping up late.

But it will take more than those two as the Elite seek to secure a quarterfinal seat in their final three games this 2017 PBA Philippine Cup.

“Sana maka-dalawa or isang panalo para makapasok kami. Pray lang (ai hope we get two or a win so we can advance. We just have to pray.),” said Aguilar.