By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It was a demolition exhibition as the San Juan Go- for Gold Knights crushed the completely undermanned Makati-Super Crunch, 131-54 during their MPBL semifinals showdown to punch a ticket to the finals.
The Makati squad played with only five members and no substitutes were present on their bench as they waived the white flag early on in the game.
Despite their opponents being undermanned, San Juan head coach still reminded his team to never relax and just play according to their game plan.
“Sinabi ko sa mga players huwag tumingin kung sino ang kalaban namin. Ipinakita ng mga players na hindi sila nag-relax, nag-effort pa rin sila para makita na convincing win talaga,” said head coach Randy Alcantara.
There was no stopping San Juan from the get go as they just dominated on both ends of the floor led by main gunner Mike Ayonayon who tallied his first career triple-double in the MPBL, 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Meanwhile, co-superstar John Wilson shook-off his rust and exploded for 22 points in an impressive 9-out-of-11 shooting despite more than one year of MPBL hiatus.
Reports confirmed that the Makati management has an ongoing misunderstanding with their players regarding salary matters, the reason why some of its players did not play during the semifinals.
The San Juan squad is currently waiting for the winner between the Basilan Steel and the Davao Occidental rubber match.
