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| The Bacoor City STRIKE Gymnasium was already too jam-packed by the Zamboanga-Quezon game alone. MPBL |
BACOOR--Strike Revilla, the mayor of this city, admitted that he did not expect a jam-packed crowd at the Bacoor City STRIKE Gymnasium here for two rubber matches in the first round of the MPBL South Division Playoffs on Saturday night.
The said arena, which can sit up to 1,500 people, already reached standing-room capacity in just the first Game 3 pitting Zamboanga and Quezon as if the game was held either at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena or the Vitaliano Agan Coliseum in Zamboanga just like last week.
The fans continued to swell by the time the home team, Bacoor City, took on Iloilo in their own Game 3.
Compared to the Game 1 crowd two weeks ago and even the good-sized audience that came to the STRIKE Gymnasium the following week for Game 2 of the Batangas City-Imus--technically becoming an Imus home game--and Muntinlupa-GenSan series, the Game 3 attendance was way more raucous.
According to Revilla, he didn't plead for them to come and it was just the fans' instincts to show up in games like this with the season on the line that led them to flock to the said arena.
"Tingin ko, baka yung init na lang nila na nakita nila dito sa atin lalo na yung game natin doon sa Zamboanga. Tingin ko, tahimik lang kasi ang mga Caviteno, lalo na itong mga Bacooreno," Revilla said after the games.
He then thanked the fans who cheered for the Strikers, who eliminated the United Royals at home, saying, "Makikita natin na hindi sila sumuko dahil yung laban talaga, andoon ang puso na talagang manalo, kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa ating mga kababayan na sumuporta. Napakarami talagang sumuporta sa atin ngayon--talagang umaasa na mananalo ang Strikers. Maraming-maraming salamat sa ating mga kababayan, at syempre sa MPBL, maraming-maraming salamat."
Revilla also lauded Iloilo for giving them a tough fight, especially when the team stole Game 1 from Bacoor City right in front of the latter's home crowd on a CJ Catapusan buzzer-beater.
With Zamboanga outlasting Quezon in the first game, Zamboanga and Bacoor City will meet in the next round with Game 1 happening next Saturday also at the STRIKE Gymnasium.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
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