You can’t expect to win a ball game if you turn the ball over 25 times and allow your opponent to translate those miscues to 31 points.
Meraclo coach Luigi Trillo summed up the reason why the Bolts lost to the up and coming NorthPort, which moved in a share for third to fourth spots with NLEX at 3-1.
“NorthPort, these guys are up and coming guys. Credit to their coaching staff. They got them prepared. They have the horses to run the race now and you can see it,” said Trillo.
“You’re not gonna win a game if you give up 25 turnovers and we gave up 31 points, then lost the game by five,” added Trillo. “Obviously, they won, but that loss was on us collectively. I took full responsibility for not preparing the guys better all around.”
Not only were the Bolts beaten by the defensive-minded NorthPort team, which resulted to the Batang Pier’s 90-85 win on Sunday, but Meralco also gave up 10 more points inside the paint to their rivals (36-46).
JM Calma went two rebounds away from posting a double-double performance of 16 points and eight boards while scoring ace Arvin Tolentino likewise tallied 16 markers for the Batang Pier.
“We know we’re a high-character team,” added Trillo. “But bottom line, if you gave up 25 turnovers, 20 in the second half, we don’t deserve to win and kudos to NorthPort. They earned this win and they’ve got some young guys who know what to do.”
