LEFT to watch from the dugout in the final eight minutes, GlobalPort import Malcolm White said that his faith in his team never wavered.
And he was happy that his teammates didn’t let him down.
The Batang Pier came out with a big 98-94 win over the mighty San Miguel Beermen even after White’s ejection for incurring his second technical foul in the eight-minute, nine-second mark of the fourth period.
White, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds before being sent off, said that he always believed that his squad can do the improbable.
“They played hard even though I was thrown out of the game. I knew my team are going to continue to play hard because we worked hard this week in practice. We were determined to beat San Miguel,” said White.
“They just kept playing, they kept fighting. I believe in them,” he added.
Although they won and improved to 4-4 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, White said that he’s taking it upon himself to control his emotions, knowing that the ejection may have very well cost them the game.
Dodging a bullet, White vows to keep his temper in check next time.
“I was a little bit upset on the calls but it’s basketball. It’s just heat in the moment, you get fired up, you say things, do certain things so I’ve got to do a better job controlling my temper on the court too,” said White.
“I’m proud of my teammates. They played hard to get this win. We needed this win it was a big win for us.”
With three games to spare in the conference and a playoff berth looming, White said that it’s all about keeping retaining their mentality that they had entering this game.
“Going to this game, we weren’t thinking we’re gonna lose. We knew we needed this game. Now we can narrow it down to last three games, hopefully we can go undefeated and get a good spot in the playoffs.”
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