Dumaguete brings in new coach in clash with semis-bound Talisay

A new coach will bolster the Warriors' campaign. Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas/Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup (file photo)

By Dugout Philippines

ALCANTARA—MJAS Zenith-Talisay will be looking to capture their ninth consecutive victory when they take on a reeling Dumaguete Warriors in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup on Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the Civic Center here in Cebu.

Darrell Shane Menina was spectacular in the second half in their last game versus KCS as he piled on 25 of his 28 points during that crucial stretch where they overhauled a 40-47 deficit at the midway point of the third canto. Jaymar Gimpayan was just as efficient as he tallied a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards.

The Warriors, which are near the bottom of the standings with a 1-5 record, will now be led by new head coach Leode Garcia.

The current University of San Jose-Recoletos men’s basketball head coach is taking over the mantle left by former head coach Rommel Uka, who had to leave the Alcantara bubble for personal reasons.

"Happy ako kasi hindi ko in-expect na meron biglang nag-hire sa akin as head coach ng isang team," said Garcia, who cleared a seven-day quarantine early Monday and had tested negative in two swab tests.

"Para sa akin, malaking exposure ito kasi professional league ito."

Meanwhile, KCS Computer Specialist-Mandaue City seeks to get back on track when it tackles Tubigon Bohol.

KCS is coming off a tough 73-81 loss to rampaging Talisay City on Saturday. The defeat snapped their five-game winning streak and dropped them to 5-2 for the season.

However, KCS won’t have to wait long to right the ship as tip-off against the Mariners is at 3 p.m.

In spite of their loss last Saturday, KCS assistant coach Jappy Bautista said they’ll continue to focus on playing their game as he believes when they do so, the rest will just follow.

“We just want to keep on playing our game. Yan ang ginagawa namin. Before we focus on our opponents’ mistakes, we want to make sure na tama ginagawa namin as a team and the rest will follow na lang,” Bautista said.

“Kasi once tama ang defense namin, susunod na lang ang offense and hopefully this will be our springboard coming off a tough loss.”

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