FiberXers snap out of the rut after heart-to-heart talk

Justin Arana (No. 15) reaches for the rebound. —PBA IMAGES

ANTIPOLO—Converge won a game for the first time in over three weeks, not only restoring lost confidence but also keeping its grip on one of the four quarterfinal berths in Group A of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

“This team went through a really rough stretch,” coach Delta Pineda said in Filipino after the FiberXers snapped a four-game skid with a 120-103 rout of the Terrafirma Dyip on Tuesday at the Ynares Center here.

The victory enabled Converge to regain solo hold of the fourth spot at 4-4 while sending Terrafirma down to 3-5. It was also the first win of the FiberXers since thrashing the guest team Macau Giant Pandas by 25 points before their downward spiral began.

Losses at the hands of San Miguel Beer, TNT, NLEX, and again to San Miguel in succession prompted frustration and multiple import changes, from original choice Jalen Hudson to returning Jamaal Franklin to another former import in Cameron Clark.

Clark made his debut against the Dyip, posting 22 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks, and the FiberXers are hoping that he turns out to be the right mix.

Pineda also hopes that a recent team meeting to delve into what has gone wrong would translate into something positive.

“The morale of the team was really low because of the string of losses,” Pineda said. “That’s why we had a heart-to-heart talk after our recent loss [against San Miguel] to discuss the things that we need to change, what we need to adjust or if the players are playing for the team or for their individual statistics.

“We agreed that we consider the team as like our family and they need to sacrifice for their team, their family,” he added.

Terrafirma lost a game it sorely needed to win after tying Converge last week by handing NLEX its first loss.

But the Dyip never got themselves in the groove right from the beginning, with Calvin Abueva and surprise starter Jaydee Tungcab leading the charge for the FiberXers.

Terrafirma import Justin Strings had 28 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals, but figured in an ugly postgame incident where he tried to confront either Abueva or Alec Stockton after the game, as witnessed by several fans.

Those who saw the incident also said that Strings even rushed towards the FiberXers dugout through the backdoor, only to be stopped by cooler heads from both teams and from the PBA staff.

Meanwhile, action continues Wednesday in this city, with San Miguel favored to dominate Titan Ultra in the opener at 5:15 p.m. while Group B coleader Phoenix faces streaking Magnolia at 7:30 p.m.

San Miguel was coming off a 52-point rout of Macau in Rodriguez, Rizal, to go 6-2 in Group A, while Titan Ultra got clobbered by 34 on the same day by TNT.

Phoenix, on the other hand, looks to get its bearings before the break after being handed a loss by Blackwater to fall in a tie with Rain or Shine at 4-2, even as Magnolia, with a 3-3 slate, goes for a third consecutive triumph. INQ