Victolero on facing Ginebra: 'We need to prepare hard'

Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang PBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines: Chito Victolero is not complaining at all even though Magnolia fell into an early quarterfinal duel with long-time rival Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.

Playing with an injury-plagued roster, the Hotshots fell by as many as 18 points, narrowed the gap in the final period before eventually falling short against the TNT Tropang Giga, 98-93 at the close of the elimination round on Sunday.

That loss proved critical as it dropped Magnolia to seventh seed heading to the quarterfinal, drawing Ginebra, the no. 2 ranked squad entering the playoffs.

“There’s nothing we can do about it, we can’t avoid that anymore,” Victolero told The Manila Times on Monday when asked to comment on the early playoff collision with the league’s crowd favorite.

“We have no control over what will happen. We will just try to prepare hard for this, dig deep and hopefully extend to another game,” he added.

For the Hotshots, the same team that reached the Finals in the Commissioner’s Cup last February, their backs are now against the wall once they play the Gin Kings this weekend.

Ginebra, by virtue of being the second seed, enjoys a win-once advantage, a similar incentive San Miguel Beer enjoys, being the top-ranked ballclub entering the quarterfinal phase.

Victolero’s biggest concern is that his veterans led by guards Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon and Paul Lee, along with energetic forward Calvin Abueva are all nursing an assortment of injuries.

Barroca played the last two games with an infected eye, Jalalon and Abueva are also nursing knee injuries and have missed a few games in the elims, while Lee is also playing hurt.

The new few days, Victolero said, will be crucial as Barroca and Co. get their respective treatment to get them ready in time for the weekend against Ginebra.

Ginebra, which closed the elims with a narrow 76-72 loss to NLEX, won’t have athletic wingman Jamie Malonzo, who a few weeks back, suffered a calf injury, joining Jeremiah Gray and Aljon Mariano in the injured bay.

Magnolia last faced Ginebra in a playoff during the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.

Led by import Justin Brownlee, the Gin Kings routed the Hotshots, 3-1 to advance to the Finals where they went on to eventually, win the Commissioner’s Cup crown after outlasting foreign squad Bay Area Dragons in an epic seven-game duel.