CEBU Sharks’ standout forward William McAloney considers their 74-70 win over the Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Season on Wednesday night, September 18, 2019 their best one to date.
At 5-8, the Sharks still have a long way to go to catch up but McAloney is already seeing signs of improvement especially on the defensive end of the floor, proof of which is the 29 turnovers that they forced Zamboanga to commit during their game.
“That was one of our best game so far for me. We helped each other a lot. If a teammate got beat, help came,” said the product of the University of San Carlos. “We really communicated well out there.”
The Sharks also got a whopping 40 points from their bench. Of note was the play of wingman Nichole Ubalde who came into the game and energized the Sharks in the second half.
“Ubalde was great! Those rebounds and steals he got? His play really helped us out because he is our energy guy. That’s why I kept on telling him to keep on doing what he was doing and to stay confident,” added McAloney.
The win was also the first for newly-installed head coach Noynoy Falcasantos, who insistence on the team playing lockdown defense is steadily paying off.
“We have really improved on defense since he is very strict on that end of the floor. The willingness of the players to win is also making a difference,” relayed McAloney.
Next up for the Sharks is the Caloocan Supremos on September 25. (SunStar Cebu)