Jerrick Ahanmisi expresses his confidence in his squad, the Terrafirma Dyip, despite collecting their fourth loss against a sole win in the PBA Philippine Cup.
There is no doubt in Jerrick Ahanmisi’s mind that Terrafirma can compete against any team in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.
For the second straight game, the Dyip clawed back from a double-digit deficit but still fell short and instead dropped to a 1-4 mark.
[WATCH: PBA LIVESTREAM: Terrafirma Dyip vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | Philippine Cup]
They thus slid to the bottom of the cellar, alongside Titan Ultra and, later, Phoenix, after the latter absorbed an 80-83 setback to Magnolia in the main game.
“I really believe that our team can compete against any team in the league," said Ahanmisi, whose squad has just bowed to Rain or Shine, 91-106, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo Friday, Oct. 31.
Taking the lessons
Despite what the standings suggest, Terrafirma did show it can go neck-and-neck against a contender like the Elasto Painters.
Down by as many as 17 points, the Dyip slowly gained steam in the third period, unleashing an 18-0 surge to take the lead for the first time, 73-70.
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But what they thought would be a nip-and-tuck contest from there turned into a nightmare as the Elasto Painters leaned on Santi Santillan, who nailed four triples in the fourth period to wrest control anew.
“We kind of lost a little bit of fight in the fourth quarter. It was also Rain or Shine hitting a lot of threes and a lot of and-ones, too. And we missed a lot of rebounds,” said Ahanmisi, who wound up with 25 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“It’s just something that we need to learn from, watch film about, and, hopefully, bring what we learn from this game to the next game.”
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.