By Nikole Javier
Louie Sangalang may have struggled on his offense but made sure to contribute on the other end to help Letran pull off a 81-75 win over College of St. Benilde in the NCAA Season 85 men’s basketball on Friday, Sept. 23 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
“Siguro ako mas focus ako sa depensa kasi kita naman na offensive parang hirap ako, parang ready sila na i-scout nila akong mabuti. Kaya sa isip ko bawi na lang ako sa depensa na lang ako tutulong kung wala akong maibigay sa opensa, sa rebound gano’n,” said Sangalang.
Sangalang only tallied four points on a 2-of-11 shooting from the field, but he collared 10 rebounds and put up a huge denial on Blazers stalwart Will Gozum with 25 seconds left. He also clamped down on the next inbound play to force Benilde's Miguel Corteza to a costly turnover.
Letran head coach Bonnie Tan heaped praise on Sangalang for his resilience after keeping his high despite missing on several attempts.
“Ako talagang really proud of Louie. Kasi nga siya ‘yong fighter, fighter ‘yong bata eh. Sa practice pa lang after namin natalo, talagang makikita mo he wants to bounce back kaagad kinabukasan. Sa practice pinakita niya ‘yong desire para makabawi (at) matanggal ‘yong frustration niya,” said Tan.
Letran will try to keep its momentum when it meets Mapua in a rematch of last season's finale on Tuesday, Sept. 27.