MARK GOJO CRUZ’s debut in the NCAA Season 101 semifinals went about as well as his fortunes against Letran have been since playing for Perpetual.
Going up against his tormentors back in his days with the Junior Altas, Gojo Cruz mustered up a lackluster 10 points on 30 percent shooting in their 73-77 loss.
But the lowlight of the game was early in the second quarter, when an entanglement with Letran’s Jun Roque earned him a technical foul.
READ: Letran holds off Perpetual late to take Game 1 in NCAA semifinals
While that incident quickly subsided, it set the tone for the mental warfare that the Knights were dishing out against Gojo Cruz and company.
With the Knights having his number both defensively and mentally, Gojo Cruz admitted to being overwhelmed by the new atmosphere, even with it being against familiar foes.
“Part of the game lang talaga,” he said. “Syempre playoffs atmosphere, kasama talaga. Pero nagpa-dala ako, naging selfish ako doon. Nakaapekto siya sa playing time ko and naging tatlong foul ako, pati yung pag defense ko nailang na ako.”
“Sa girian namin ni Roque napagalitan ako ni coach. Siguro dagdag motivation yun sa akin para bumawi sa next game. Di ko man lang inisip yung team.”
Aside from Roque, Titing Manalili also got in on the fun, dishing out verbal jabs against Gojo Cruz.
“Siyempre nasa game tayo so wala munang kaibi-kaibigan, trabaho lang talaga. Wala naman akong problema kay Gojo Cruz, buti nga hindi pumapasok open threes niya kaya ayun,” Manalili said.
“Palagi ko siyang tina-trash talk, marami akong sinasabi sa kanya para-madistract kasi alam naman natin iba talaga siya.”
That second quarter incident was a significant momentum-breaker for Gojo Cruz, because he never really picked up slack even as Perpetual came storming back in the second half.
So to prevent ill-timed slumps like that, the forward out of Santa Maria, Bulacan vowed to show more poise in their do-or-die rematch on Friday.
“Yung three points ko. I think yun talaga yung naging factor din kasi one out of seven ako. Nandun naman yung kumpiyansa eh, pero I think yun yung kailangan ko iwork on Isa na [din] yung ‘wag na ako magpadala sa ganung tactics.”
The rematch on a bigger stage
Though it’s only his first time in the final four two years into his collegiate stint, a sense of familiarity lingered for Gojo Cruz, as his previous postseason success in the juniors was shut down in the finals by nobody other than Titing Manalili.
But for this game, though, the benefit of familiarity went Letran’s way.
Nothing out of the current usual happened, as not only did Letran get the best of Gojo Cruz, but they also went away with the commanding lead.
“Actually kapag nasa side nga ako ng bench ni coach Allen, sinisigawan niya ako ‘titira ito, titira ito!’ Ang pinapasabay niya pa sa akin si [Kevin] Santos para yung three points ko mailang ako,” Gojo Cruz recalled.
“Mataas yung respeto ko kay Coach Allen kasi alam ko sistema niya. Alam ko yung mga tactics niya na ‘yun. After game minura niya pa nga ako eh, sabi niya ‘t—- Mark, galing mo pa rin!’ Kasi familiar na kami sa isa’t isa noong juniors.”
But this time, Gojo Cruz is hoping that the history of torment finally goes Letran’s way.
“Gigil nga ako manalo kasi noong season 99 juniors finals ko talo kami, sa tag-team din nilang dalawa (Ricardo and Manalili).”
“Hopefully talaga makuha na namin, ayoko pa magbakasyon, eh.“
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