While all eyes were on June Mar Fajardo’s 20-20 game, Don Trollano quietly provided some energy off the bench in the second half of San Miguel’s win over NLEX in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
This was Don Trollano's statline after the first half of action in San Miguel's quarterfinal battle against NLEX: 0-for-5 from the field, three rebounds, an assist and a block.
A pep talk from veteran teammate Chris Ross and the rest of the Beermen coaching staff made him change that in the last 24 minutes of action.
During the break, they reminded Trollano to be aggressive and give the second group the lift it needed.
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He did just that, and top seed and twice-to-beat-armed SMB entered the semifinals via a 101-94 dispatching of No. 8 Road Warriors.
“Iniisip ko na lang, kailangan kong bumawi. Kasi 'yong first half, medyo off rhythm ako and pangit 'yong start ko,” said Trollano.
“So noong halftime, kinausap ako nina Chris Ross, mga teammates ko and coaches, to stay aggressive. Ini-start nila ako ng third quarter. Maganda naman [ang kinalabasan].”
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Trollano dropped 15 of his 17 points in the telling 32-19 third period output of San Miguel, which also opened the frame with a massive 21-2 run.
That ensured the Beermen's 10th straight win since their 0-2 start in the elimination round to remain the hottest team in the league.
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They will face either Converge or Ginebra, battling in the second game of the day's doubleheader, in the penultimate stage.
“For us, iniisip lang namin is one game at a time, kailangan lang ipanalo. After noong two losses namin, tinrato na namin 'yong games na parang playoffs na. Maganda naman 'yong resulta, 10 straight [wins],” Trollano said.
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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.