EMPHATIC couldn’t even begin to describe reigning MPBL national champion Abra’s season opener against Parañaque at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Facing South Division’s bottom-feeder the previous season, the Weavers powered through a 115-85 victory with ease on Tuesday thanks to their reinforced roster.
DJ Fenner had the loudest of introductions, delivering 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in an electrifying first dance with Abra.
Along with Fenner, Abra’s paint was well protected as second-year forward Raven Gonzales made all but one shot to deliver 16 points, while former Mapua center Drex Delos Reyes chipped in 15.
Abra played as spotless of a game as possible, not only dominating on both ends of the floor, but also leading in nearly every statistical category.
But for Weavers shotcaller Yong Garcia, there are still a few kinks in the armor to be polished.
“Masaya ako doon sa performance nila,” Garcia told SPIN.ph referring to Fenner and Delos Reyes.”Wala nga akong masabi doon. Although mayroon pang mga lapses na dapat i-correct. Hopefully na yung mas maagang chemistry sa makuha ng team.”
Family reinforcements
This Tuesday match also saw the reunion of brothers Dave and Shaun Ildefonso, with the latter signing onto the team this season from his stint with Rain-or-Shine.
And while the reunion brought a lot of fanfare for fans of their days as NU Bulldogs, it also brought an additional dynamic guard at Garcia’s disposal.
“Masaya kami dahil nagsama ulit yung mag-kapatid. Nakita naman natin kung paano silang mag-basahan inside the court, both offense and defense. Sana malaking tulong ang mai-ambag ng Ildefonso Brothers na Abra para maprotektahan namin yung championship," Garcia said.
Dave, the reigining MPBL MVP, finished with 13 points, seven boards, and four assists, while the elder Ildefonso debuted with seven markers and six rebounds.
Ryusei Koga and Marlon Monte emerged as the top scorers in Parañaque’s third loss. They combined for 30 points with the former splashing four triples as the Patriots fall to 0-3.
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