MANILA, Philippines – Despite a grueling schedule, fatigue was not a factor for the Chiba Jets, head coach John Patrick said.
Patrick said that Japanese team has already played 12 games in the past four weeks.
“I am really proud of our team, [despite] the really tough schedule that we have. I think this is our 12th game in less than four weeks… But we found a way to win,” the coach said after their 75-66 win over the TNT Tropang Giga in East Asia Super League (EASL) play at the Santa Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna Wednesday night.
The team started the game hot, scoring seven straight points. They then built a 20-point lead in the second quarter.
While TNT cut the lead to five in the second half, the Jets did just enough to take the win and remain undefeated in three EASL games so far.
“We found a way to win. We played a really good first half and we knew they weren’t gonna be quiet in the second half, they came back, made it a close game and I’m just really proud that we kept fighting and found a way to win,” Patrick said.
Patrick described their schedule as “murderous,” as they play two games every weekend.
“So, we’re taking it one game at a time. We know we’re 3-0, but we haven’t had any easy games. And again, this is a murderous schedule,” he said.
“When we don’t play EASL, we play a league game during the week so we’re taking it one game at a time, and guys are fighting through exhaustion and really proud but we’re not gonna look ahead at all. We’re taking it one game at a time.”
Chiba will play its next EASL game in December, when they meet Rhenz Abando and the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters at the Anyang Gymnasium in South Korea.