As the final whistle blew following San Beda University’s loss to rival Colegio de San Juan de Letran on Saturday, the Lady Red Spikers could not hide their frustration about the tough outing.
Tears fell from the San Beda players and an inconsolable Angel Habacon was seen on the court on her knees, only standing up as they were about to sing their alma mater hymn.
The agony of defeat
— JK Carandang (@jk_carandang) May 4, 2024
Angel Habacon, who had 29 points vs Letran, was emotional as San Beda got eliminated from playoff contention @gmasportsph @gmanews pic.twitter.com/E8VOwTgXYE
It was understandable, however, given that the Lady Red Spikers saw their slim playoff hopes dashed in heartbreaking fashion.
"Sabi ko 'di pa puwede, puwede pa [dapat]. Gusto ko pang lumaban, gusto ko maipakita sa kanila na kaya namin manalo. Parang ayoko pa matalo. Kung puwede pang may sixth set," Habacon told GMA News Online on Saturday.
"I want to win. I hate losing."
Despite the loss, what stood out for head coach Edgar Barroga was the heart of his players.
"Nakita na kasi namin na may ibubuga pala 'yung mga bata. Lalabas pala 'yung kanilang talento, skills nila. To be honest, proud ako sa kanila, sa nilaro nila lalo nung 4th set, talagang humabol pa," said Barroga.
"[I'm] really proud of them. Talagang natuwa ako sa laro nila kahit talo."
(We saw that the young ones have the talent. Their skills were there. To be honest, I'm proud of them, in what they played in the fourth set, they really recovered. I'm really proud of them. I was really happy despite the loss.)
Habacon, who again had an explosive performance with 29 points, is also proud of what her teammates showed.
"Proud naman po talaga ako sa each one of them kasi they fought hard. They fought all out, they fought with their hearts," said the San Beda rookie.
(I'm really proud of each one of them because they fought hard. They fought all out, they fought with their hearts.)
They may have fallen short of their goal to enter the semifinals, but San Beda hopes to see its players' determination again once they play their final match against Mapua University on Tuesday.
"[Iyang] one game na 'yan, siguro marami silang natutunan sa laro na 'to. Hopefully, ganun ulit puso nila kasi kapag ganun pa rin ang puso nila, medyo magandang laban pa rin ang mapapakita namin," said Barroga.
(That one game, perhaps they learned a lot from here. Hopefully, they showed their heart so that when they have it, we will still give a good fight.)
San Beda also hopes to end the season on a high note to give a good farewell to its seniors such as Maxine Tayag.
"Sana po mabigay namin 'yung victory para kay Ate Max, last game na po sa college," Habacon said.
(Hopefully, we can give Ate Max a victory, it's her last game in college.)
Apparently, the game against Letran was supposed to be dedicated to the seniors, according to Habacon, as they would have wanted to win against their rivals.
"I pray na in our last game, sana manalo kami para kay Ate Max para mabigyan namin siya ng magandang exit," the rookie added.
(I pray that in our last game, hopefully we win for Ate Max and give her a good exit.)
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
