Vince Maglinao delivered his best game yet this conference, unloading a game-high 21 points and producing 14 excellent digs to lead the Green Oilers to a blistering start in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“Happy, though medyo slow start. Pero somehow, nagising din sila after nung first set. Na-realize nila na hindi pwedeng relax relax lang,” said La Salle head coach Jose Roque.
“Kailangan namin talagang magseryoso eh. Hindi tayo pwedeng magbigay ng segundo o minuto para [makahabol] ‘yung kalaban. Kailangan i-stop agad,” he added.
After dropping the first set, the Green Oilers found their rhythm, dominating the next three frames with Maglinao firing the decisive blow, securing the match by forcing an error on Navy’s defense at Zone 4.
Though Navy fought back, saving four match points and capitalizing on La Salle’s initial service and challenge errors, Maglinao’s consistent performance – scoring a game-high 21 points – helped solidify the Green Oilers’ lead in the standings, just behind DN Steel-FEU, which earlier rolled to its sixth straight win with a five-set escape over Savouge.
Despite the victory, Maglinao acknowledged the need for further improvement, particularly in court synergy, to ensure smoother gameplay as the tournament progresses.
“We focus on the process. After every game, we assess what we still need to improve because, in this Spikers’ Turf tournament, our opponents have more experience than we do. We take that as a challenge to work on our individual skills,” said Maglinao in Filipino, who earned the game's top honors.
Despite their strong start, Maglinao acknowledged that the Green Oilers still have areas to strengthen.
“We need to keep building our connection on the court to improve the flow of our game,” he added.
Joshua Magalaman made his presence upfront and tallied six of the Green Oilers’ 17 blocks on his way to a 14-point performance, while Glen Ventura registered 14 markers on 10 attacks and four kill blocks.
Yoyong Mendoza added nine points, while Noel Kampton, who only played in the opening set, had four markers as La Salle moved up to the third spot in the Invitational Conference supported by ArenaPlus, Mikasa and Alpha Insurance & Surety Company
Jericho Adajar came up with 22 excellent sets and finished with four points, while team skipper Menard Guerrero collected 12 excellent receptions and nine excellent digs.
The Green Oilers will face acid test as they collide with the Cignal HD Spikers on Friday at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Navy absorbed its second consecutive loss to drop to sixth with a 3-3 record.
