By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

JEREMIAH saved the best for last outscoring Daniel in the fourth quarter, 38-14, to post a 105-84 victory in the finals and notch the championship in the 2nd Calvary International Mission-Filipino Community Church Inter-Color Basketball League-Genesis Invitational Cup last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym.
Jeremiah entered the fourth quarter down by three, 67-70, when Jun Estolas, Errol Peredo and Kevin Cequena joined forces to bring their team back into the game and secure the title that eluded them last year.
Jeremiah advanced in last year’s finals but lost to Ezekiel.
Estolas, who was silent in the first three quarters drilling only three fieldgoals, as Pando Muleta covered him with a leech-like defense, waxed hot in the payoff period challenging Daniel’s inside defense.
Estolas had 11 points in the fourth quarter and two 3-point plays. His first one was a penetration against Leo Factor at the start of the fourth. He completed the 3-point play and tied the game at 70-all.
There were a couple of lead changes in the ensuing plays until Estolas scored four straight points with his fourth point coming off an incomplete 3-point play giving Jeremiah an 81-77 lead, with 6:13 left on the clock.
Peredo, Estolas and Cequena then teamed up in a short 9-3 run to increase Jeremiah’s lead to 10, 92-82, with 4:19 left in the game.
Cequena had two points in that run, Estolas had four and Peredo had three. Peredo scored Jeremiah’s 92nd point as he pulled off a 3-pointer on the left key, making the basket and drawing foul from Rick Alegre.
He failed to complete the rare 4-point play, but that was enough to secure the win for Jeremiah, as they held Daniel to only two points in the last 4:19 of the game.
Muleta scored Daniel’s 82nd point nailing a triple with 5:41 left on the clock.
Daniel was silent for more than three minutes and finally earned points when Elmer Esdrelon made two free throws off a technical foul charged to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah smelled victory in the last two minutes of the game as it was leading by 16, 98-82, and forgot that it had six players on the court forcing game officials to call a technical foul on the eventual champion.
Daniel, which took the pennant, failed to complete its championship bid, as its key players got into foul trouble in the fourth quarter. Junar Guiab fouled out midway in the fourth, Ric Alegre followed suit in the closing minutes of that canto, while Dennis Vinas, Alex Lauron, Muleta and Tom Alegre played with four fouls each in the fourth period.
Daniel committed 10 fouls in the final canto, while Jeremiah had only three. Daniel entered the penalty mark midway in the fourth quarter.
With Daniel in penalty, Jeremiah attacked the basket relentlessly and made easy shots.
To make matters worse for Daniel, its shots were not falling in. Only Muleta scored more than one fieldgoal in the fourth quarter and these baskets came when the game was already decided.
Esdrelon, who had 10 points in the third, scored only two free throws.
Peredo topscored for Jeremiah with 30 points, including nine in the final canto. Cequena had 10 in the fourth and finished with 27, while Estolas added 20 and Ronnel Gamboa nailed three triples and chipped in 17.
Jeremiah never lost to Daniel in the tournament, and the former also handed the latter its lone loss in the regular season.
In the battle for third, Joshua beat Caleb, 95-90.