Brooke Van Sickle gave props to teammate Wilma Salas after the Petro Gazz Angels import put up a monster 34-point outing against the Creamline Cool Smashers in the PVL Reinforced Conference.
Brooke Van Sickle and the rest of the Petro Gazz Angels knew where to put their faith when the going gets tough inside the taraflex.
“In Wilma [Salas], we trust,” Van Sickle said, as import Wilma Salas came through with a 34-point masterpiece in the Angels’ five-set marathon victory over fierce rival Creamline in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday, August 13.
Van Sickle said such even as the the reigning All-Filipino MVP did much damage herself, coming up with 24 points in the big win.
[ALSO READ:PVL: Wilma Salas, Petro Gazz cool off rival Creamline in five-set thriller]
“It’s huge for the team, for sure. A confidence boost and just being able to secure this win is huge for us because of how are pool play went," she added, making sure to note the total team effort it took to take down the Cool Smashers. The victory was the first win streak for Petro Gazz, as the two-time defending champions got off to a rough start to their title defense in the first round of pool play.
After sliding to 1-3, the Angels are now at even 3-3 win-loss slate for solo seventh in the combined team standings, staying in the hunt for a quarterfinals berth.
More work is to be done for sure, but Salas feels like she and the rest of her team are starting to settle down and get into a groove.
“I know this game is important. Now, I felt good and you can see more of this for sure," she said.
Ever gracious in victory, the 2019 champion import tipped her hat off to the Cool Smashers. She also further emphasized that putting the work behind the scenes can translate to good execution in the game, especially against strong opponents.
“I'm so happy for winning this difficult game. Creamline’s a very good team. But every time, I say if you’re training [went] good, you do good in [actual] play," Salas said.
Adding a new chapter to the storied Creamline-Petro Gazz rivalry, Van Sickle notes that passing the Cool Smashers test is always a good sign.
“It’s just like a dog fight with them, and it’s just so exhausting but they’re all such good players. There’s definitely a pressure. It’s like fight or flight. Our backs are against the wall because of our performance in the past," she said.
“But knowing, coming in, that we still have a chance, we’re okay. Just continue pushing each other, stay consistent and get as much points as possible," she added.