ANTIPOLO – Familiar faces await Zavier Lucero the moment Magnolia booked the last quarterfinals berth in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup.
The 6-foot-6 Fil-Am will be up against former team Northport after the Hotshots arranged a playoff against the top seeds with their 112-81 win over the NLEX Road Warriors in their do-or-die encounter on Sunday night at the Ynares Center.
As the eighth-seeded team, the Hotshots need to beat Batang Pier twice to advance deeper into the playoffs.
READ Lucero pumped up to see Magnolia peaking at just the right time
Lucero said there is nothing personal about going up against the same franchise that picked him No. 5 overall during the Season 48 draft.
“No extra. They’re the next team that we have to win against to be able to move on,” was how he sees the matchup against Northport that will be played on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“No one knows them better than me and what those guys can do. So it’s all respect to them, but we have a pretty good team, too.”
The Hotshots showed how good a team they are after winning for a fourth straight game, including the last three outings which were all do-or-dies.
Lucero again was the top local scorer for Magnolia with 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists, complementing the monster numbers of import Ricardo Ratliffe, who came away with 32 points and 14 rebounds, including 14 in the final quarter.
But the Hotshots certainly have to play even better against the Batang Pier, who boasts a lot of firepower from Arvin Tolentino and import Kadeem Jack.
“Obviously, he’s (Tolentino) a problem. He’s a problem, their import is a problem. Josh (Munzon) has been playing amazing this conference. So we got our hands full for sure, and that’s the reason why they’re the number one seed,” said Lucero, who was acquired by Magnolia prior to Season 49 in a trade with NorthPort for the duo of Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter.
“And that’s not just those three guys. They’re getting (help) from everywhere.”
The way Magnolia has been playing lately though, gives Lucero the optimism the team can go toe-to-toe with NorthPort.
“We got to prepare the right way and have confident that we’ll be able to get the job done as long as we continue to play our game,” said the former University of the Philippines Maroons star.
“And we’re playing our best basketball right now, and so it’s just time to keep on rollin,’ Lucero stressed.
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