AS LYCEUM catches the final playoff bus in Group A of the NCAA Season 101, it now faces the daunting task of winning consecutive games against a higher-ranked team when it battles Group B winner San Beda in the quarterfinals this Thursday.
Difficult, sure, but definitely not impossible.
Pirates coach Gilbert Malabanan would be the first person to attest to that given that the most recent team to lose in the playoffs with a twice-to-beat advantage was them two years ago.
READ: Lyceum repels San Sebastian late to set QF clash with San Beda
The squad which beat them? The Red Lions, the team they’re looking to upset in the semifinals.
“Bumalik sakin yun na kami yung twice-to-beat kami na tinalo kami ng San Beda noong Season 99,” Malabanan said. “Again wala naman akong [plano ng] ganti or something.”
As difficult as that task is for the Pirates, the fact that they’re here is an achievement in itself especially with how they started the season.
This hard-luck Lyceum side suffered five consecutive losses – with four of those losses going down the stretch.
Knowing that all they needed was to peak just in time with the play-in system in place for the tournament, the Pirates took it one step at a time and eventually steadied the ship in the final phase of the tournament and before booking a quarterfinals seat with a 70-63 win over San Sebastian.
“Sabi ko nga sa mga players ko, we had a bad start but ang importante is how we finish our games strong,” Malabanan said.
“Ayun sana mag-tuloy tuloy tong panalo namin and yung mga ginagawa ng mga players namin.”
The good news for the Pirates? They’re the only team to hand the Red Lions a double-digit loss this season.
In their lone match in the crossover phase of the classifications, the Pirates stunned the Red Lions 78-66 after Joshua Moralejo caught fire in the end game.
Malabanan knows that this is an entirely different ball game altogether, but it helps them – at least with their confidence – knowing that this team is indeed beatable after taking one from them in the past.
“Hindi namin kailangan mag-rely dun kasi nga that’s the past, pero siyempre dadalhin namin yun pag dating namin ng Thursday, with full confidence sa mga players namin. We’ll give them a good fight this Thursday,” Malabanan said.
Lyceum star Ato Barba echoed his coach’s sentiments on playing the Red Lions.
The veteran guard was a part of the team that lost twice to coach Yuri Escueta’s boys two years ago and he knows that the Red Lions are the most successful basketball team in the league for a reason.
“Siyempre pag playoffs alam naman natin ang San Beda, nagiiba ang laro, [nakikita natin] yung adjustments nila, lumalabas yung pagka-Lion nila e,” Barba said after dropping 22 points in the KO match against San Sebastian.
But that doesn’t mean that Barba and these Pirates will just allow the Red Lions to trample over them come the quarterfinals, no.
“Samin, lalaruin lang namin yung laro namin as LPU. Titriplehin namin yung effort namin, one game at a time, focus kami every game,” Barba said.
The respect will always be there, but these Pirates will be fighting for life come Thursday.
“San Beda is one of the contenders. We will give our best in that game na talagang siyempre, we live or die in that game,” Malabanan said.
“Kami gusto namin mag move forward and umangat, San Beda ganun din. I think it boils down to adjustments nalang.”
Whatever happens, these Pirates wouldn’t be lacking in confidence as they look to draw first blood against the Red Lions.
“Maganda yung morale ng team namin,” Barba assured.
“Galing kami ng ilang consecutive na talo and nakuha namin yung panalo ngayon, maganda yung magiging morale ng team ngayon kasi ang kumpyansa namin going into the next game mataas.”
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