Road Warriors prime up for tough stretch with rout of Dyip
A dislocated jaw didn’t prevent rookie Brandon Ramirez from having the best game of his young PBA career, and keep NLEX’s impressive showing in the Philippine Cup at the expense of the tournament’s worst team.
Ramirez’s 21 points enabled the Road Warriors to stay hot with a fifth straight victory, a 117-87 dismantling of Terrafirma on Wednesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, as they now get a breather before a pair of big games.
“I came in like five or four games left [last conference],” Ramirez said. “[But] when I came into this conference, coach Jong and the staff gave me the trust and confidence to just go out there and use my abilities to contribute to the team.”
The second round pick of the Draft made his NLEX debut in the Commissioner’s Cup after helping Pampanga win the MPBL title in December before finding his niche this conference as a key presence inside while also providing some offense both inside and out.
And it showed against the lowly Dyip as Ramirez, who also had some experience playing in the defunct PBA 3×3 and was the Scoring Champion during one of its conferences, scored 10 of his total in the opening period that set the stage for the rout.
That despite leaving last week’s win over Barangay Ginebra after an accidental hit courtesy of Jamie Malonzo. Ramirez recalled feeling how his jaw was “out of place” until members of the team’s PT staff were able to realign it, followed by a CT scan at the hospital.
“Luckily, it came out negative of any fractures,” he said. “The coaches allowed me to rest for a couple of days just to get the swelling down. And I think this was my first day that I’ve been able to chew.
“Now I can bite on metal to get better,” he concluded in jest.
NLEX improved to 5-1 as its winning ways continued since opening the conference with a loss to San Miguel Beer.
The Road Warriors will now take time to recharge their batteries before facing two tough opponents in the Converge FiberXers on May 23 and Meralco Bolts two days later. The Bolts were playing the Magnolia Hotshots at press time.
“Good thing we were able to pick up some wins,” said coach Jong Uichico. “But these back-to-back games will be a test for us.”
Expect Ramirez to be among the guys Uichico will trust in trying to neutralize the FiberXers’ frontline duo of Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana while the Bolts could impose their physicality to challenge the Road Warriors.
Terrafirma absorbed a sixth straight defeat after getting a victory to begin the all-Filipino. And ironically, the Dyip matched their average losing margin.
