Sports

PBA: ‘Always ready’ mindset pays off for Encho Serrano


Phoenix's rookie Encho Serrano.  –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix found its hero in a hard-fought victory over Converge in the playoffs during Sunday’s PBA Governors’ Cup tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

To FiberXers’ surprise, Fuel Master put his faith in a wild card who didn’t even play much in the first quarter—Encho Serrano.

“Coach Jamike always tells me to be ready,” the cunning guard said in Filipino after their thrilling 106-103 victory. “In the first half, I really wanted to help so when he brought me on, my confidence didn’t fade. Knowing coach Jamieke, I knew he was going to use me so my confidence remained. I really wanted to help the team so I did my best.”

The rookie finished with the highest 28 points in his career and teammates after only 21 minutes of play. He has more points than beginners Tyler Tio (16) and Simon Camacho (4) combined.

His high-scoring night turned out to be a productive one too, as he registered a goal-scoring rate of 68%, sinking 11 of his 16 shot attempts, including two trebles. .

When asked if he will try and eclipse his record as the elimination round nears its end, Serrano responded almost immediately.

“Of course [I’m ready]. Every time we play, what we do is the same. Our next game will be tough because we’re tired but we won’t think about it. Now, we are more challenged and inspired after this, which is a big win. We will always be ready.”

Jarin also praised Serrano’s performance, saying he did just as much in defense as in attack.

“We really want to disrupt the flow of their attack. We did very well in the first quarter but in the end we struggled a bit. The good thing is that we were able to recover thanks to this baby (Serrano) being here,” Jarin said.

As the knockout stages approached, Jarin expressed how proud he is of his team.

“I am very proud of this team. Like you all saw, he didn’t even play in the first half because we had a group of very selfless people. We’re just trying to get Jazul away. I explained that to Encho, that’s why his minutes went down,” Jarin said.

“Because RJ was having a hard time, Encho had the opportunity to participate. And as you can see, this group of people is very, very selfless. I am very proud of them.”

The Fuel Masters’ unselfishness came into full play Sunday when they overtook FiberXers in support, 22-16.

With the crucial win f, Phoenix, currently holding a 3-5 record, came out of a deadlock with Northport, Rain or Shine and Terrafirma (all 2-6) and overcame the pole eight seed. important period.


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