What fuels the Perpetual Junior ALTAs is the heartbreak they endured the year prior.
And while there are only a few holdovers left in the team, veteran JD Pagulayan is elated to see everyone on the bench embracing the same vision as they look to complete some unfinished business in the NCAA Season 100 juniors basketball tournament.
"Sobrang gusto naming bumawi this season kasi last season na-short kami sa Letran," Pagulayan told GMA News Online on Monday.
"I think ngayon na ‘yung chance namin at kontrolado po namin na kaya po namin makuha ‘yung championship. Pero hindi magiging madali kaya kailangan pa rin namin mag-trabaho."
Pagulayan and the likes of Lebron Jhames Daep, Jan Roluna, Icee Callangan, and Aries Borja are among those who felt the pain from last year when they fell to Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the finals. And so far, these veterans have been living up to the expectations as they helped steer the Junior ALTAs back to the finals.
The wards of head coach Joph Cleopas shrugged off a slow start then flipped the switch in the second half to pull off a 96-87 win against San Beda University in the Final Four yesterday.
But what makes Perpetual more lethal is how deep its bench is.
Like in some of their previous games, the Junior ALTAs once again showed their ability to adjust mid-game when their usual suspects were getting checked by the opponents.
And doing that against the Red Cubs was rookie Dan Rosales, who dropped 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a starter role. For the graduating Pagulayan, this is no longer a shock as he is a witness to how his teammates put in the extra work.
"Sa akin wala namang bago ‘yun kasi sa training nakikita ko ‘yung hard work nila everyday. After ng training, mag-e-extra sila sa shooting," Pagulayan added.
"Hindi ako na-surprise kasi expected ko naman na gano’n na ‘yung lalaruin nila."
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
