Final Standings Team W L Quotient Margins Luke 4 2 +5 +11, -13, +4, -4, +6, +1 John 3 3 +17 +12, +13, +2, -1, -6, -3 Mark 3 3 +7 -12, +12, -4, +1, +11, -1 Matthew 2 4 -29 -11, -12, -2, +4, -11, +3 Matthew avoids major collapse as they held off furious John rally GBBC, March 8, 2022. Matthew controlled the majority of the game, holding on to victory with some key stops to prevent a major comeback by John. A win by John would give them the top spot. Ironically, they would face Matthew again in the playoffs if that happens. Matthew looks to spoil the party as they seek to drop John to 2nd place and await the winner of the next game. A blowout win by Matthew, however, can drop John down to 3rd place as per the quotient system. Stakes were high and this game would eventually set the tone for the rest of the night. The start of the first half saw both teams trying to get on rhythm as they are consciously setting their offensive plays and defensive strategies. It was a back and forth affair as both teams struggled at times to score a basket. Aaron Roblo dominated inside as he punished John with layups and bank-ins. It did not help the black and gold team as big man Rey Malupa was saddled by foul trouble, picking up an early 3rd foul. With an apparent downsize from the opposing team, Roblo continued scoring as Matthew raced to a 32-24 lead late in the half. Offense was sporadic for John as their main men AC Gonzales and Raph Pacheco missed some inside shots they usually finish. Roblo then went ballistic as they unleashed a 17-3 run to finish the first half with a 22 point advantage, 49-27. Roblo, in an other-worldly performance, outscored the entire John team as he scored 32 by himself. He was seconded by The Tank Vic Lardizabal with 8. Do-it-all-forward Orly Malupa paced John with 7 points. The green team picked up where they left off to start the 2nd half. They continued to fend off a John rally as they pad the lead to its highest at 27 points. They wisely milked the clock to set their plays whilst effectively limiting the momentum that the other team could gather. Matthew was protecting a large lead, 60-38, looking to coast to an easy win. Now on the brink of dropping to 3rd place, John played for pride as they plotted a major comeback plan anchored by their superstar Gonzales. John began to tighten their defense as they started to harass the ball handler of Matthew. The strategy was proven to be effective as they forced a lot of turnovers and got easy baskets on the other end at a furious pace. Gonzales started to carve his path down low as he scored some inside baskets coupled with and-one opportunities. Matthew began to unravel as they struggled to put the ball in the basket for the entirety of the game. It did not help their cause as their main ball handler, Honorio Gayeta, fouled out during the rally. An and-one opportunity by Gonzales seemed to spell more doom to Matthew as the ensuing action injured their main man Aaron Roblo. He went out of the game with an apparent right ankle injury, unable to return. John further trimmed the lead to 2, 66-64, off a clutch basket by shooting guard Apollos Aguinaldo who replaced starting guard Raph Pacheco who fouled out of the game. A miscue from John led to Lardizabal being fouled. The Tank split from the charity stripe to give Matthew a precarious 3 point lead with less than 3 seconds to go. A desperation 3 point attempt by Gonzales to tie the game rimmed out as time expired. Roblo continued his onslaught with 45 points for Matthew before his unfortunate injury. He has 2 weeks to recover before the playoffs start. The Tank added 13 while Kyle Lardizabal contributed 5 off the bench. After a slow start, Gonzales finished strong with 31 for John as their comeback fell short. Orly Malupa added 9 and Raph Pacheco chalked 8 for John. The loss for the black and gold team drops them to their 3rd straight loss of the tournament. Their comeback effort however incorporated by their higher overall quotient secured them the 2nd spot and a twice to beat advantage in the playoffs. Scores: 49-27, 67-64 Matthew 67 - 45 Aaron Roblo, 13 Vic Lardizabal, 5 Kyle Lardizabal, 4 Jeff Alquizar, 0 Honorio Gayeta, 0 Jun Adille John 64 - 31 AC Gonzales, 9 Orly Malupa, 8 Raph Pacheco, 6 Rey Malupa, 6 Ryan Malupa, 2 Apollos Aguinaldo, 2 Kevin Sanchez, 0 Jenzhel Sanchez Luke grabs top spot via an incredible game winner by Gayeta to beat Mark GBBC, March 8, 2022. Superstar Mario Gayeta provided the last punch of an exhilarating game as his layup with 2.9 seconds remaining in overtime gives Luke the top spot in the tournament. With Matthew’s win earlier in the night, a victory in this game becomes more important as the winner would take the top spot and the twice to beat advantage. The losing team would drop to 3rd place and will have a twice to beat disadvantage against John to start the playoffs. If the first game was any indication, we are in for a ride as two powerhouse teams lay it all on the court to masterfully end the elimination games of the 1st PBA tournament. A familiar recurring theme manifested itself as Mark quickly got their offense going and sent Luke searching for answers. The answer was a no brainer as they quickly leaned on their superstar Mario Gayeta who started rolling offensively. An ugly stretch during the first half went by where both teams struggled to score a basket leading to a low scoring half which was uncharacteristic for both teams equipped with such offensive firepower. Mark padded their lead further reaching as high as 8 points, 16-8. But Luke started to find their groove as their 1-2 punch came to the rescue. Gayeta and spitfire guard Lloyd Duga-duga combined to score the last 8 points of the half to trim the deficit to 1, 16-17, heading into the break. Gayeta started on fire with 10 points. Duga-duga added 6 for his team. Big man Ezekiel Aguinaldo led the orange team with 7 points while versatile forward Ponciano Tan aided him with 6 points. The offense for both teams clicked to start the 2nd half. Gayeta picked up where he left off scoring on multiple opportunities from almost every area on the floor. Luke takes the driver seat as the score is kept close all throughout. Curiously, Mr. Consistent Tan, who scored 48 last game, was not in his usual groove offensively as he failed to score consistently. Luke was ahead by 3, 40-37 looking to build a larger cushion heading to the final minutes. Guard Gerald Gabriel however scored off a left wing 3 pointer to even the score once again.
Mark relied heavily on offensive rebounds and putbacks by Aguinaldo to keep them in the game. Both teams continued to tussle as no one could build any type of momentum heading to the last minutes. Finally, Tan came alive in the final 2 minutes basically carrying his team behind his back. He scored on 2 consecutive baskets to give Mark a temporary lead. They were immediately answered by 2 clutch baskets from forward Bay Gayeta. Tan continued his crusade as he scored 4 points off free throws. Gayeta answered with 2 mid range clutch jumpers of his own, tying the game once again with less than 30 seconds remaining. Tan scored another layup but Gayeta quickly answered with another shot to tie the game at 54 with 9 seconds remaining. Mark failed to capitalize on the winning opportunity as they missed the possible game winning shot sending the game to an extra period. Luke seized the opportunity during the extra time as they quickly pounced and built a 6 point lead capped off by a three point shot by Duga-duga. Gabriel answered the call as he scored 5 quick points to eventually cut the deficit to a single point. Gayeta answered with another mid range. In a back breaking development, Tan fouled out and had to watch the game from the sidelines. The back and forth ensued as both teams took their turns with a single point lead. Gabriel scored a layup with less than 10 seconds remaining but Gayeta quickly answered with a layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. The desperate heave by Gotonero did not hit the rim as time expired. Tan led Mark’s valiant effort with 28 points as he displayed brilliance in the clutch. Center Aguinaldo was steady with 17 points dominating the boards as well. Gabriel saved his best game with 12 points, 7 on incredible clutch baskets in overtime, as he carried the baton when Tan fouled out. Duga-duga finished with 17 points to help Luke grab the top spot. The best player of the game is superstar Mario Gayeta who finished with an impressive 42 points including the gut wrenching game winner. He finished the elimination round with an MVP worthy performance. Luke will now face Matthew in the playoffs as they reap the twice to beat advantage reward. Mark on the other hand faces a familiar foe in John to complete the playoff matchups. Scores: 16-17, 54-54, 71-70 (OT) Luke 71 - 42 Mario Gayeta, 17 Lloyd Duga-duga, 6 Bay Gayeta, 4 Romel Galara, 2 John Paul Caramoan, 0 Gabriel Tanyag, 0 Mariano Gayeta, 0 PJ Gayeta, 0 Ben Gayeta Mark 70 - 28 Ponciano Tan, 17 Ezekiel Aguinaldo, 12 Gerald Gabriel, 8 Marlito Gotonero, 5 Axcel Quisimundo, 0 Joey Aguinaldo, 0 Joseph Aguinaldo, 0 Jake Pagatpat Results from March 8 John avoided a major meltdown by managing to keep the score close and snagging the second spot along with a twice to beat advantage because of a superior quotient than that of Mark. Mark now needs to beat John twice to move on to the finals. Matthew faces a red hot Luke to start the playoffs as they will work for an upset. Top Scorers of the Tournament
Playoffs start now. Luke wants to punch the first ticket to the finals as they battle a very game Matthew squad in the first game. John looks to dust off their straight losses as they clash with Mark in the 2nd game. Both games will be played on March 22, 2022 at GBBC. Games start at 7 PM every Tuesday. Wedding bells are ringing. A halt in the action please. We will take a 2 week break in our games before the playoffs. Our very own John’s Bro. Orly Malupa will exchange his hardcourt uniform for a tuxedo to exchange wedding vows with Sis. Arlene Callo on March 15, 2022 at GBBC. Let’s call it a perfect 50 points and a wonderful start of marriage for Bro. Orly and Sis. Arlene. Best wishes! /written by: Kevin Sanchez /photos by: Chloe Aguinaldo
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