Petron dominates Rain or Shine, halts three-game skid

Alex Cabagnot vs TY Tang file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Petron Blaze finally halted a three-game misery after dominating Rain or Shine, 96-86, with head coach Olsen Racela calling it a confidence-boosting win.

And while Alex Cabagnot may have echoed his coach’s statement, the playmaker went on to downplay the Boosters win and instead focused on what’s ahead.

“Rain or Shine’s a good team, they’re no slouch. They’re really good and obviously it boosted our confidence,” said Cabagnot, who had 11 points, three rebounds and seven assists.

“(The win) is important but it won’t mean anything if we lose to Global Port,” Cabagnot told INQUIRER.net.

The Boosters were clear-cut favorites to win the title coming into the 38th PBA Season with their already loaded core getting added reinforcements in six-foot-10 Junemar Fajardo, the first overall pick, Marcio Lassiter and third pick Alex Mallari.

But for some reason, things didn’t go as planned for Petron, which is still standing below .500 at 4-6.

Somehow, the win over the Elasto Painters showed what Petron is capable of when it gets into a flow.

“It’s more of players commitment, we had a short talk the other day. We just reminded each other it’s time to stop talking and start playing. And it showed in the game. Defensively we held them down,” said Racela, whose squad remained thin on its frontcourt with Fajardo and Peña still recuperating from their injuries.

“We’re definitely tired of losing. We just have to commit to playing hard and smart. Win or lose I think we gave our efforts. Our effort was really good, the intensity was high and we were aggressive,” added Cabagnot.

And for Racela, the win over Rain or Shine was just a start and the hard part is consistency.

“You’re only as good as your last game. It’s a crucial stretch for us. We need to sustain this.”