THE Bay Area Dragons have won eight tune-up games against professional and college teams in the lead-up to their participation in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup and the East Asia Super League.
While all the matches have been vital to their preparation, Dragons deputy coach Bill Tomlinson singled out Ateneo as one of the teams that impressed him the most.
“We played Tab Baldwin’s university team. They are good. They were really drilled,” said Tomlinson following the Dragons’ victory over NLEX on Friday where he took the helm in lieu of head coach Brian Goorjian.
“For young men, they did a really good job offensively and defensively,” said Tomlinson.
[READ: Kouame returns, but Ateneo falls to Dragons in tuneup]
The Dragons defeated the Blue Eagles, 102-93, during their third tune-up game held at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. Dave Ildefonso led Ateneo with 18 points, while Ange Kouame had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
“A really good game for us,” said Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian after the game. “We wanted to play a team that was physical, played real hard, and played together.
Aside from the Blue Eagles, the Dragons also faced Converge, Blackwater, Terrafirma, and College of Saint Benilde during the tune-up series. On Friday, Bay Area continued its unbeaten slate by beating NLEX, 111-104.
Tomlinson said the rest of the friendly matches have also been important in their build-up for the PBA and the EASL.
“And each game we played, like the team we played today, that’s another step up. We are looking forward to playing, I think we play Phoenix next week. I believe they are also a step up,” said Tomlinson.
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