Rollers 1 upsets Sonics in finals

Rollers 1’s Jude Tengco drives baseline against 670 Sonics’ Jester Kintaro during the fourth quarter of their title game in the boys U16 division of the TanHoldings holiday caging last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Rollers 1 stole the thunder from the erstwhile unbeaten 670 Sonics following a 49-43 victory in their title showdown in the boys U16 division of the 2016 TanHoldings Christmas Basketball Tournament last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

The 670 Sonics, coming into the winner-take-finale, swept the regular season and incidentally capped their perfect record in the elimination with a 65-46 rout of Rollers 1. However, the highly favored 670 Sonics failed to extend their streak and win the game that mattered the most, while Rollers 1 delivered in the championship game.

Rollers 1 coach Joe Diaz pulled all the right strings to catch the 670 Sonics off guard right from the get-go. Diaz had his wards playing pressure defense all throughout the match, frustrating Khristian Itaas and Jester Kintaro—the top gunners of the 670 Sonics. On offense, Rollers 1 ran a variety of plays, leaving 670 Sonics’ defense guessing and allowing the eventual champions to spread the wealth.

Four Rollers 1 scored at least 6 points each in the finals with Jude Tengco leading the way with his 15 markers. Jelbert Quitugua and Emmanuel Cobacha chipped in 9 apiece, while Angelo Factor contributed 6.

Factor and Tengco knocked in one triple each in the third quarter and the latter tallied 7 of his total points in the penultimate frame to give Rollers 1 its biggest lead, 42-28. Tengco and company’s strong showing in the third made up for Rollers 1’s slowdown in the second quarter where the team had only 10 points.

The Sonics recorded only 9 markers in the third canto, drilling only four field goals. Coach Zach Johnson, in a bid to find the right combination, kept shuffling his men in that pivotal frame, but the gamble backfired as his players failed to get into their rhythm.

Only Kintaro and Itaas were often left for long periods on the floor with the former the lone Sonics player to score more than a field goal in the penultimate period and the latter scoreless after being held to 4 points. Itaas’ 4 markers were all from free throws and he finished the finals without a single field goal—a far cry from his 27-point performance in their 56-52 semis win over the Ol’Aces 2. Kintaro had 11 markers, but could not assert his might in the paint like he used to in the past teams, as Rollers 1 denied entry passes in the shaded lane.

With Itaas off and Kintaro bleeding for points in the third quarter, Rollers 1 took the twin-digit lead, 42-28—a luxury for the eventual champion since the tournament implemented a running time in the first eight minutes of a quarter.

Rollers 1 went on to work the clock and protect the double-figure advantage in the majority of the fourth until the final 48 seconds of the match, as a triple from Kintaro moved the 670 Sonics within 8, 41-49. A putback from Bryan De Guzman a couple of plays later trimmed the deficit to 6, but that was it for the 670 Sonics as time was not on their side, while Rollers 1 dribbled down the remaining 10 seconds of the game.

Rollers 1 49 – Tengco 15, Cobacha 9, Quitugia 9, Factor 6, Hudkins 3, Pangelinan 3, Valencia 2, Kisa 2.

Sonics 43 – Kintaro 11, De Guzman 10, Sabangan 5, Itaas 4, Apasan 4, Ordona 2, Dionisio 2, Ejercito 2, Bayot 1.

Scoring by quarters: 15-7, 25-19, 42-28, 49-43.