For Creamline stalwart Bea de Leon, the ultimate measure of success lies not in personal statistics, but in the collective success of the Cool Smashers in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
A Creamline victory will always hold more significance over personal success for Bea de Leon.
De Leon’s best performance in a Cool Smashers uniform ended on a somber note on Saturday night after the defending champions suffered a heart-wrenching loss to the Petro Gazz Angels in the 2024 PVL All-FIlipino Conference.
The 5-foot-11 middle blocker, who put up 13 points built on seven attacks and six kill blocks, barely found any solace in her fine outing, saying she would rather trade it for a win.
“I didn’t know [my stats]. Sana nanalo na lang kami,” said de Leon, who averaged four points prior to her recent showing.
Though not in a celebratory mood, the former Ateneo star remained gracious in defeat, tipping her hat to the Angels, who withstood the brunt of the Cool Smashers.
“I think naman we gave it everything that we could. Talagang naunahan talaga kami ng Petro Gazz. They played very well and hindi namin sila napigilan especially towards the back end. But ‘yun, talo kami. A loss is a loss,” de Leon said.
The stinging defeat dragged Creamline down to third place in the standings with a 6-2 record (18 points) behind recent tormentor Petro Gazz (6-2 record, 19 points) and league-leading Choco Mucho (7-1 record, 21 points).
As the Cool Smashers regroup and prepare to continue jostling for crucial positioning, de Leon and her teammates remain undeterred in their title-retention bid.
“Very sad siyempre. Hirap ng nangyari sa amin. But you know, we’ll give it a day of course. And the most important part is makabawi kami,” the 27-year-old de Leon said.
“Na-mention nga nila coach kanina was the slow start. Talagang mahirap, hindi talaga laging makahabol kaagad kapag ganun kalaki rin ‘yung deficit and ganun ka-crucial. That’s one, but for now, it’s like everything’s still a blur so we’re still gonna try and go back talaga to the drawing table.”
De Leon and the rest of the Cool Smashers seek to regain their winning form when they take on the Nxled Chameleons on April 13, Saturday.