By Ricky Manliguis
ICCT
Colleges banked on the heroics of main man Jun Reign Baculio at the buzzer to guide
the Blue Dragons to a narrow 84-83 win over La Consolacion College Manila and
snatch Game 1 of the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) Season 14
seniors’ basketball finals at the Trinity University of Asia gym in Quezon City
Wednesday.
Bothered by
cramps the whole second half, the junior guard scored a putback off a Mark Angelo
Magno miss as time expired as the Cainta-based squad inflicted the defending
champions Blue Royals its first loss of the season and move a win away from its
maiden ISAA basketball title.
Baculio
finished with a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while
issuing three assists and three steals. Carl Jeicel Torres and Mc Steven
Esguerra each chipped in 12 markers, while John Kurth Mapua cashed in 11 for
the Blue Dragons.
Magno was
limited to only four points on a measly 2-of-13 shooting, yet snagged a
team-best 11 boards.
It was a
tight ballgame at the onset, with ICCT leading by as much as seven points at
one point in the first half. But LCCM stormed back to tie the ballgame at 42
after the first 20 minutes of action.
Things got
interesting in the second half, with LCCM holding a slim 79-75 edge in the last
three minutes of the fourth quarter. ICCT then mounted a comeback, even taking
the lead by just a point, 82-81 with a little over a minute remaining.
John
Michael Urmeneta scored off an ICCT foul to put LCCM back in the driver’s seat,
83-82. But that was all the Blue Royals could muster, as ICCT clamped down on
defense and made key offensive rebounds in the ensuing plays, ending with Magno
finding an open lane for a wide-open hook shot. He overshoots the mark, only
for Baculio to outjump his defender and deliver the killing blow.
“The players
gave all that they had. They may be unknown players, but they wanted to prove that
they belong in this sport,” echoed ICCT head coach Arvin Guinto in a post-game
interview.
Guinto also
lauded the effort of his veteran player Bacuilo, who had to be inserted back
and forth during the crucial moments of the match because of cramps.
“Gusto
talaga niya (Bacuilo) manalo. Siya nagsabi na ok siya, and I trusted him. Ayun,
it paid off,” (He really wanted to win. He said he was ok and I trusted him. Good
thing it paid off) Guinto later added.
Andrey Ober
registered a game-high 21 points on a torrid 6-of-8 shooting from the three-point
line for LCCM, even as Christian Alonzo and Urmeneta fired 19 and 17 markers,
respectively.
The Blue
Dragons lorded it over the rebounding department, 53-34 (20 coming from the
offensive glass), while shooting 14-for-19 (74%) from the foul line as compared
to LCCM’s 4-of-18 (22%) clip.
In the
other game, the ALIAC Baby Phoenix set up a finals showdown with unbeaten LCCM
with a narrow 67-65 win over the Treston Golden Cubs in their do-or-die game.
Brent
Sumalinog led the ALIAC offensive with 25 points and five rebounds, while Jared
Jay Mañalac pumped in a 12-10 double-double with four blocks.
ICCT will go
for the jugular this coming Saturday still at the Trinity University gym at 12
noon, following the seniors third place game between WCC ATC Skyhawks and
Treston Golden Lions at 9 am, and the finals of the juniors division at 10:30 am.
Game 3, if necessary,
will be on June 7.
The Scores:
First Game:
ALIAC (67) РSumalinog 25, Ma̱alac 12, Resara 8, Lozano 6, Toldeo 6, Bulilan 6, Bathan 4, Canovas 0.
Treston (65) – Malay 22, Lasconia 18, Bonalos 8, Sarmiento 8, Rondael 7, Rivera 2, Lopez 0.
Quarterscores:
19-22, 39-36, 52-48, 67-65.
Second Game:
ICCT (84) –
Baculio 20, Esguerra 12, Torres 12, Mapua 11, Virtucio 8, Soria 5, Magno 4,
Castro 4, Arimado 2, Buban 2, Reyes 2, Rebollido 2, Camposo 0, Santos J. 0.
LCCM (83) –
Ober 21, Alonzo 19, Urmeneta 17, Postanes 10, Glariana 6, Cabal 5, Meneses 5,
Castillo 0, Trinidad 0.
Quarterscores:
22-28, 42-all, 60-65, 84-83.
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