IN SPITE of their up-and-down play, the Cebu Sharks-Casino Ethyl Alcohol remains within striking distance of a spot in the playoffs and they will try to bridge the gap further when they battle the homecourt-toting Bacolod Master Sardines in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Season at the University of St. La Salle gym on Thursday, October 17, 2019.
Tip-off is at 9 p.m. with the two teams trying to shatter a deadlock in the standings as they each sport identical 6-10 win-loss records.
The Sharks have yet to find any semblance of consistency this season, as evidenced by the 88-71 loss that they suffered at the hands of the Bacoor Strikers. The loss placed them in ninth place, just outside the playoff picture, right behind the Bicol Volcanoes which has an 8-11 card.
Sharks big man William McAloney admitted that they have been struggling with how they finish games and added that they are working to rectify that.
“Sometimes, we have a really good start but then, sputter at the end,” the left-handed double-double machine said.
Their defense, which has been a prominent, season-long issue for Cebu, will need to be on point against Bacolod, which ironically, will be featuring two of Cebu’s finest basketball products in recent years — two-time former Cesafi MVP Macmac Tallo and former pro, Jerick Canada.
“We need to play great defense because it all starts there,” said McAloney.
Defensive bulldog Joel Christian Lee Yu added they can’t afford to lose to any more expansion squads if they hope to barge into the playoffs this season.
“We can still do this. There are plenty of games left on our schedule,” said the University of San Carlos product. “And we can’t lose to any more expansion teams especially since we’re the more veteran squad, ” Yu said.
However, Cebu’s southern sojourn got off to a rocky start on Wednesday morning as more than half the team missed their flight to Bacolod, prompting head coach Noynoy Falcasantos to cancel their morning practice. The second batch of players were set to arrive in Bacolod right after lunch. (SunStar Cebu)