PBA: Magnolia’s physical play brings out best in Converge’s Jerrick Balanza

Jerrick Balanza. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Converge may have bowed to Magnolia, 99-95, in its most recent encounter in PBA On Tour on Wednesday but Jerrick Balanca relished the challenge of playing against one of the league’s top teams.

Balanza tallied 20 points, two rebounds and three assists in a very physical game, the type of game he thrives on.

“It’s nice to play that way [physically] because I grew up with that style of play. It’s okay for me. I even told my teammates that it’s really good to play against Magnolia,” Balanza said in Filipino at Ynares Sports Center, Pasig.

“Of course, we really want to face a team that’s really strong.”

The Hotshots’ grit and grind style of play seemed to light up a fire under Balanza, making him score more than his average.

In the FiberXers’ last Governors’ Cup conference run, Balanza only posted norms of 6.6 points and 1.3 boards a night.

Balanza’s fellow Letran product Kevin Racal helped Converge’s offense with 22 points built on four buckets from the three-point area.

Despite the high-scoring output, though, Balanza remained steadfast in his goal to give Converge more winning moments.

For Balanza, getting a victory is more important than scoring.

“For me, even if I only get one or two points, the important thing for me is to win. The 20 points I had today is nothing, we’ll keep going in our workouts [to win].”

Balanza is expected to do more in the guard position with the uncertainty of Maverick Ahanmisi’s return to the team.

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