IN A battle between youth and experience, the latter prevailed.
Team Doc Neri on Wednesday night, July 31, withstood a searing rally by Team Gabe from 21-point first-half deficit en route to a nail-biting 88-84 victory and become the inaugural champion of the 1st NMR-IV Eagles Governor Luiben Magto Cup basketball tournament at the Nazareth gym, Cagayan de Oro City.
A spate of Team Gabe turnovers in the last three minutes of the ballgame, including a botched attempt by Boning Biongcog in the final 14 seconds of play, saved the youth-laden Team Doc Neri from almost completely squandering a commanding lead in the one-off championship match.
Anchored mostly by civic (40-up) players, Team Gabe managed just 13 points each in the first and second quarters to Team Doki’s combined 47 behind the multi-pronged attack of the youthful foursome of Michael Daigdigan, Eric Baa, Sean Neri and Paul James Gumia.
“Walay pasahay, walay salig sa kauban,” a disappointed Janjan Babiera hollered to his teammates at the halftime break.
In third frame, Team Gabe improved a bit outscoring Team Doki, 29-24 with small guard Shian Galanida piling up 11 laced with three triples and Babiera and Biongcog doling out seven and five points apiece.
But it was also at this juncture that the 21-year-old former Perpetual Help standout Sean Neri hurled back-to-back treys off crossover moves that prompted Team Gabe to employ a “box and one” defense at the start of the fourth and final quarter with Galanida applying a “VIP treatment” against the much younger and bigger Neri.
The trick worked as Neri was held scoreless while the late-exploding Imok Cabrezos racked-up three triples and Galanida and Babiera had one each from afar to complement Biongcog’s do-it-all jobs on both ends of the floor.
In less than four minutes left, Team Gabe even wrested the lead at three when it lapsed again in successive errors aided by some “honest mistakes” by the referees further aggravated by Baa and Gumia’s aggressive play that netted nine and eight markers for each one of them in the endgame stretch.
“Kadtong na rebound nako unya pasa fastbreak panglabaw na-intercept wala tawage na klaro kaayo naay foul,” complained John Naliponguit, Team Gabe’s tallest guy on the floor, who was visibly off-formed, contributing just 2 after his 11-point output in the semis against Team Nobles.
“Bakante kaayo ko sa last ball possession wala gyod napasa ang bola sa ako,” rued Galanida, arguably the best Team Gabe performer in the final half action.
The lanky forward Baa netted 23 points on top of his crucial rebounds and defensive blocks to edge deserving teammate Neri for the MVP award.
“Kon unsa ka thrilling ang semis gi-doble pa ka exciting sa finals. Of course, naay minor glitches sa tawag pero gi-try gyod nato’g korek pag review sa video para fair play limp’yo atong liga,” said tournament director Julius Gary Mejos.
In the preliminary game, Ernesto “Sakuragi” Tagarda made it sure that the 28-point production of his brother-in-law Arvin Martinez will not go to waste when he scored a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Team “A” Daddy’s breathtaking 94-91 escape opposite the Metro Cagayan de Oro Eagles, which got 20 and 19 markers, respectively, from Michael Sanchez and Frence Obasa in their friendly tiff.
The scores:
First Game (Exhibition)
“A” Daddy’s 94 -- Martinez A. 28, Tagarda 20, Martinez B. 19, Madrigal 8, Go P. 5, Solis 4, Saquilayan 4, Go 3, Mejos 3, Vallejos 0, Adura 0.
Metro Eagles 91 -- Sanchez 20, Obasa 19, Oliveros 12, Ompad 11, Quia 8, Ojeda 6, Romero 5, Fuertres 4, Lawan 3, Sabal 2, Saucelo 1.
2nd Game (Championship)
Team Doc Neri 88 -- Baa 23, Neri S. 17, Gumia 17, Daigdigan 12, Alvarez 6, Neri M. 4, Bale 3, Noble 2, Bunayog 2, Sala 0, Neri W. 0, Magsalay 0.
Team Gabe 84 -- Galanida 22, Babiera 16, Biongcog 14, Cabrezos 14, Relevo 8, Butron 4, Timkang 2, Naliponguit 2, Gabe 2, Stev Panaz 0, Gustilo 0, Daabay 0.