Team Proa kept an unblemished record during the last week of the regular until it suffered losses in the hands of Mobil and Konflict.
From the start, team Konflikt proved to be invincible with their quick feet and ball movements.
Point guard Jomary Tumaquip led his team past PROA’s defense barriers to clear the road strip for team captain Elmer Esdrelon to make three-point shots.
Upon entering the court, Konflikt’s Ivan De Vero refused to let his presence go unnoticed. De Vero garnered 8 points upon initial collision with team PROA leaving them behind at 23-15.
De Vero then rallied past the PROAs in the second quarter to nail 9 points while team captain Esdrelon took bold attempts to sink three pointer shots in, with great skill he nailed two to give Konflikt another 6 points to stash the lead far away from PROA, 44-21.
PROA was history in the last two quarters of the game. Konflikt stepped it up a notch during the second half of the bout to give the PROAs a run for their skills.
Kae Bernardo jumped into the winning band wagon and contributed his six pence in followed by a rain of jumpshots from Esdrelon and Tumaquip. They earned four points apiece, 66-42.
It all came down to final quarter of the game as PROA had their backs against the ropes. Konflikt refused to give in and took no time for remorse or any kind of mourning for their foes. Instead they connected to the basket for more shots taking major advantage of their other team’s fatigue to leave them behind.
Bernardo garnered 7 points while Esdrelon finished the kill with 6 points to kick PROA out of town. The Konlfikts will now enter the Championship round sealing the first seat of the prestigious Docomo/UBA Men’s Basketball League, 85-66.
Scores:
IP&E Konflikt– I. De Vero 20, K. Bernardo 19, E. Esdrelon 18, R. Talania 8, J. Tumaquip 6, E. Santos 6.
NMC PROA– P. Iguel 21, D. Barcinas 18, G. Ruluked 16, A. Barcinas 4, G. Libuw 4.
