AT the end of the day, a win is a win. But for University of the Philippines sophomore high-flyer Francis Lopez, not all wins mean the same.
The Fighting Maroons went on a tear in the Filoil Ecoil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup by completing a ten-game tournament sweep to win back-to-back championships at the expense of their UAAP Season 86 tormentors De La Salle Green Archers.
Making the title win last Wednesday sweeter was how UP erased a 20-point halftime deficit in the blink of an eye courtesy of a 46-point second half.
READ: UP takes fight out of La Salle for successful Filoil Preseason title defense
The champion trio of outgoing senior JD Cagulangan (13 points), Finals MVP and team captain Gerry Abadiano (12 points), and Harold Alarcon (nine points) showed the way in the timeframe en route to a huge come-from-behind victory.
Lopez, who pitched in eight markers including a highlight reverse dunk in the third quarter, sealed the ice-cold win and was also feted as the tournament’s best defensive player.
But quite frankly, from the former Gilas Pilipinas player himself, none of this really matters as the preseason title-clincher was ‘just another game.’
“To be honest, nothing really. This is just the preseason. It’s nothing to us,” he answered after being asked what a second straight Filoil Preseason championship means to their side.
“We just tried to win today and go home. We have a lot of things to work on. This is not really our goal, but we worked really hard for this. Our goal is the UAAP, not this one. It’s just another game for us,” he added.
A roller-coaster ride with UP
Exacting revenge from a crushing loss to La Salle in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball finals could’ve made the preseason title romp just a tad bit more special for Lopez and the rest of the Fighting Maroons.
But getting even, somehow, with the Green Archers now won’t mean a thing if State U won’t be able to do the same come Season 87 in September.
And on the road to building a vengeful title-contending squad, the reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year thinks his side is not even halfway to where they want to be just yet.
This is even truer since UP has fallen short in two straight UAAP championship series even after winning Game 1.
“I’d say not even 50 percent. We have a lot of things to work on — the consistency, mostly. Coach Gold [Monteverde] keeps telling us to not be complacent. Whatever team you face, don’t get complacent,” he said.
“We’re on a rollercoaster. We gotta be consistent about what we do and playing hard. Coach Gold keeps telling us we just have to be consistent, just trusting each other and continue playing hard especially on defense.”
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