THE Crossfit-Subtero-2006 kicked off its campaign in Division B of the 26th Sacred Heart Ateneo Alumni Basketball Athletic Association (SHAABAA) basketball tournament in the most rousing of fashion, as it toppled the reigning champions, Cebu Landmasters-2003, 63-61, on July 19, 2023, at the Magis Eagles Arena in Mandaue City.
Batch 2006 turned it on in the fourth period as it uncorked a 13-4 run in the first five minutes to turn a 41-45 deficit into a 54-49 lead. But the battle-tested Batch 2003 refused to give in and tied the ballgame at 61-all with just 43.7 seconds to go after a floater by Justin Huang and two freethrows from Darylle Tan.
Batch 2003 even had a shot at retaking the lead after stopping 2006’s offensive but Huang lost control of the ball, leading to Luis Yu III driving the ball inside before dropping it to a wide-open Uriel Lim who made a layup to give 2006 a 63-61 lead with 16 seconds remaining.
Batch 2003 still had a shot at winning the game but its offense went awry, forcing Huang to shoot a tough triple that missed at the buzzer.
Mark Blanco and Luis Yu III had 13 points each for 2006, while Frank Dinsay added 11 points and 10 boards. Tan led 2003 with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
In the other Division B game, the Efficascent Boost-BRC-2010 defeated the Bigatin Trading-2008, 79-66.
It was a close game for the first three periods as 2010 entered the fourth ahead by just three, 57-54. However, it found its second wind in the final stretch to hack out the lopsided win.
Gabe Branzuela had 22 points, five boards, six assists and two steals for the winning side. Jasper Diaz also had a fantastic game with 18 points, 10 boards and four steals. (JNP)