When the stakes are at their highest, Jema Galanza has what it takes to lead the Creamline Cool Smashers to glory in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Jema Galanza has always been a reliable force for Creamline, but she has shifted into a higher gear in the critical stages of the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Throughout the preliminaries, Galanza was a steady source of offense for the Cool Smashers but she rarely commanded the spotlight. However, as the campaign transitioned to the postseason, her star began to shine even brighter.
In the round-robin semifinals, the 5-foot-7 outside hitter kicked her performance up a notch, emerging as the leading scorer for the defending champions while making her presence immensely felt on floor defense.
On Thursday night, in front of 17,457 spectators inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Galanza scintillated once more, steering Creamline past Choco Mucho, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 25-16, in Game One of the best-of-three Finals.
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The 27-year-old Galanza poured a team-high 20 points, to go along with 13 excellent receptions. This moved the Cool Smashers a win away from their eighth league championship. and one step closer towards a successful title defense for a fourth straight All-Filipino crown.
Safe to say, when the stakes are high, Creamline can count on Galanza, who admitted that the pressure-packed atmosphere of the playoffs ignites a fire from underneath her.
“Thankful lang ako sa team ko kasi binibigyan nila ako ng chance na mag-improve everyday and wala, kasi semis, [finals], ito ‘yung mga laro na ang sarap ilaro,” the 2019 Open Conference MVP said.
“Alam mo ‘yun, intense talagang lumalaban ‘yung kalaban so gusto ko lang din ilabas ‘yung laro ko sa mga ganung ka-intense na games.”
Another driving force for Galanza is her determination to guide Creamline to the promised land after enduring one of their most challenging conferences in recent memory.
The Cool Smashers faced the brink of elimination after suffering three losses in the preliminaries — a rare occurrence for a team accustomed to dominating and holding a top spot in the standings.
The perennial champions barely made it into the playoffs as the fourth seed, only to face another scare when the Flying Titans defeated them for the first time in the opening match of the round-robin semifinals, nearly derailing their title-retention bid.
Creamline would then lean on its championship mindset to regroup, overcoming the Petro Gazz Angels and the Chery Tiggo Crossovers to return in the finals.
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“Sobrang special lagi kong sinasabi itong season na ‘to,” Galanza bared.
“Andaming pinagdaanan, nag-struggle kami ng sobra. Kung titignan niyo hindi ito ‘yung Creamline na kilala niyo, pero ganun talaga hindi naman kami perfect and ‘yun nga tumataas ‘yung level ng competition lumalakas ‘yung mga players at yung ibang teams.”
Galanza and the rest of Cool Smashers are aiming to tap into their championship mentality once more to close out the series in Game Two on May 12, Sunday, and complete what could be one of their most fulfilling title conquests in history.
“‘Yun mindset ng pagiging champion kasi ang hirap maging consistent, ang hirap maging champion every conference pero makikita niyo sa amin, bawat isa gusto namin nananalo, gusto namin makuha ang season na to,” Galanza said.
Game 2 of the Finals will be on Sunday, May 12, 6 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. It will be aired on One Sports+ and the Pilipinas Live app.