PAMPANGA Best retained the 2014 PCYC Marrickville championship with a nail-biting finish against AgKhro (Aguman Khroliks), 59-58, at Marrickville last week.
By RAY POLICARPIO
Chester Coronel muffed a chance to seize the upper hand for Pampanga Best team with a botched lay-up in the dying seconds of the game, and the clock stopped for regulation time with the score locked at 57-all.
The three-minute extension produced one of the best defensive and classic matches as both sides rotated the ball to find the highest percentage of attempt at the basket.
An error by Mañas was scooped by Cortez, who scored a twinner to seal the game for the defending champion, 59-58, with time down to 2.5 seconds of the extended period.
AgKhro (Aguman Khroliks) comprised players from the two squads scheduled to play for the GM Bankstown crown the following weekend.
Its main players Lon Mantua, Bing Mantua and Joet Paule are all part of the Amigos winning tradition. Olet Pineda, Vic Guinto, Reginald Peña, Russell Bukalan, Patrick Vergara from the GM Bankstown League and Liverpool cager Christian Zarate completed the side. Coach was Anthony Dungca.
Coach Edsel Deang had banked on the core of its championship squad led by veteran Byron Murphy and high flying Marlon Mañas.
He infused youth into his team by bringing RJ Butacan, Gulliber Cortez, speedster Otaner Francisco and Mark Roquid.
To beef up his frontline, Deang threw in Bernard Bautista, lanky Chester Coronel and Ervin de la Peña.
There was an eerie quiet during the warm-up as players from both sides went through their stretching and shooting routines.
The opening stages of the grand final saw erratic plays from both teams that could have been the result of nerves going haywire.
Mañas opened the scoring with a trey that went in on a prayer to put Pampanga up, 3-0.
AgKhro countered with frontal assaults by Lon Mantua, Bing Mantua, Olet Pineda and Christian Zarate to take the lead, 10-4, at 5min 49sec into the first half.
Murphy pumped his chest and went into a shooting frenzy with treys that elicited a similar response from teammates Coronel and Mañas to keep it close, 20-21, AgKhro still in control with 8min 19sec left in the first canto.
Deang was forced to improvise on his plays when Mañas took a nasty fall and suffered a leg strain.
Another Lon Mantua surge, ably supported by Bing Mantua, Zarate, Pineda and Joet Paule sorties made it a comfortable 36-30 lead for AgKhro as the first-half hostilities ended.
The same pattern of plays, the same surge of emotion and passion, the same result of shots from their dependable players continued well into the second half.
Murphy, Bautista, Mañas, Coronel, Cortez and peppery guard Ervin de la Peña starred for Pampanga Best as they kept abreast with AgKhro.
Paule was hitting from all angles, and he anchored teammates to stay in the game when hostilities see-sawed with a battle for points.
Zarate, Lon and Bing Mantua and Pineda provided much-needed support.
Coronel muffed a chance to seize the upper hand for Pampanga Best with a botched lay-up in the dying seconds of the game, which finished with a score of 57-all at regulation time.
The three- minute extension produced one of the best defensive and classic matches as both sides rotated the ball to find the highest percentage of attempt at the basket.
It took an error from Mañas that was scooped by Cortez who scored a twinner to seal the game for the defending champions, 59-58, with time down to 2.5 seconds of the extended period.
Time ran out for AgKhro squad, with Pampanga Best celebrating one of its best victories.
The Miller squad could have been in there with its top elimination round results had it not been for player injuries and commitments.
The youthful Home Boyz and Flight Club showed that they would be a force to reckon with in the future with their young wards showing potential at this stage stage.
