Bryan Bagunas pushed the Cignal HD Spikers a step towards defending their title, leading them to a win over the Criss Cross King Crunchers in Game One of the 2024 Spikers' Turf Open Conference Finals.
After falling to the Criss Cross King Crunchers in the round-robin semifinals of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference last Sunday, Bryan Bagunas and the Cignal HD Spikers did not waste any time hitting the reset button.
With a renewed sense of focus heading into Game One of the title series, the HD Spikers played calm and composed, dispatching the King Crunchers in four sets, 27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
This marked the first time a meeting between these two powerhouses concluded in less than five sets. And the all-important win pushed the defending champions closer to a repeat.
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Bagunas, who playing his first conference with Cignal, could not help but feel elated after moving a win closer towards the coveted title
“Siyempre sobrang saya ko sa performance namin, kasi kung anong trinaining namin last training lumabas naman,” Bagunas said.
“Siyempre kami naman, lalo na ako bago ako sa team ng Cignal, gusto ko ‘yung unang year ko dito is makapag-champion. And ['yung] mga teammate ko, andoon rin ‘yung eagerness nila mapanalo this game, so sinet aside na lang namin ['yung] pagkatalo [sa] last game and nag-focus kami this finals.”
Bagunas, who was coming off a conference-best 38-point performance, showed his resolve to lead Cignal to victory. He delivered a double-double effort of 26 points and 12 excellent receptions.
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The 6-foot-5 dynamo was the difference-maker in the decisive fourth frame, providing a riposte to every comeback attempt from Criss Cross, much to the delight of HD Spikers head coach Dexter Clamor.
“Sobrang grateful ako na I have Bryan Bagunas who can perform well in crucial situations. Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako hindi lang kay Bryan kasi it’s a total team effort ng bawat isa sa team,” Clamor said.
With the ultimate goal within reach, Bagunas and the rest of the HD Spikers are focused on fine-tuning their game to finish off the King Crunchers and wrap up the best-of-three series in Game Two on May 10, Friday.
“Sana hopefully sa next game namin e mas mataas pa ‘yung kumpiyansa and mas ma-polish pa namin ‘yung pagkukulang namin this game,” Bagunas said.
Game 2 will be shown on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.