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| Aurora Philippines and MPL Philippines casters played a game of basketball for the ABS-CBN Foundation. Ivan Saldajeno |
PASAY—A showmatch ensued between Aurora Philippines and the male casters of MPL Philippines on Saturday night.
However, it did not happen in a Mobile Legends Bang Bang map.
The Playground at Cloverleaf here became the "Land of Dawn" for these two groups as they faced off in a game of basketball, not just to shed some of the extra weight they gained from eating out in Christmas parties, but also to provide entertainment to the MPL Philippines fans.
Having the luxury of fielding a full 12-man basketball roster, Aurora PH took advantage of the casters being undermanned—only six of them were able to play—and raced to a 44-35 halftime lead.
The casters, primarily Hans Galeria and Aaron "Burrito" Gaddi, showed heart in the second half, and the friendly suddenly became down to the wire.
After forcing a stop, the casters actually had a chance to force overtime.
However, Kenneth "Yue" Tadeo saved the day for Aurora PH as he blocked Galeria's three-point attempt as the final buzzer sounded.
Aurora PH escaped with a 78-75 win, but the real victor is the ABS-CBN Foundation.
All the sales for the game, from the tickets to the replica Aurora PH basketball jerseys being sold at the arena, will be given to the said charity organization.
Amiel "Master The Basics" Jiandani led Aurora PH with 23 points, highlighted by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from even way beyond the PBA four-point range to end the first quarter.
The revelation, though, was Dylan "Light" Catipon, who, despite not playing basketball that much, scored 14 points, earning him MVP honors.
Galeria exploded for 49 points, while Gaddi scored the other 26 for the casters.
Capping off the charity basketball showmatch was the reveal of the official jerseys the two Aurora teams will use for M7 starting next weekend.
The Turkish team will be wearing black jerseys, while the Filipino squad will wear a new set of mint green kits.
