Team Alliana’s players pose for a photo with their championship medals and trophy during the awards ceremony of the 2023 Pacific Saipan Promo Invitational Basketball League at the Gualo Rai basketball court on Wednesday.
Team Legends’ Jun Tabora takes the shot over Alliana’s Louie Leightley during the championship game of the 2023 Pacific Saipan Promo Invitational Basketball League at the Gualo Rai basketball court on Wednesday.
ALLIANA’S fought to the very end and defied all odds with a fourth-quarter comeback to snatch victory from Team Legends, 63-59, and the championship of the 2023 Pacific Saipan Promo Invitational Basketball League at the Gualo Rai basketball court on Wednesday.
Prior to the endgame, Team Legends was in control with Alken Ege scoring three consecutive triples in the opening quarter while teammates Dick Tibayan and Pappus Tabora delivered a couple of buckets.
Richard Mendoza and JR Alcantara of Alliana’s sank three shots from beyond the arc, but their team struggled to secure the possession and committed a handful of turnovers to remain behind.
In the second quarter, both teams adjusted their defensive strategy and could only score single digits with Team Legends still leading by halftime, 30-26.
The third period saw Team Legends’ biggest run.
While Alliana’s continued to struggle on the offensive end due to excessive turnovers, Team Legends’ Bernard Montano, Jimboy Tabora, and Ege combined for 15 points to push a double-digit lead, 48-37.
But Alliana’s never showed signs of giving up. In the fourth and final quarter, they switched to a full court man-to-man defense as Team Legends started to show signs of fatigue due to the constant pressure.
With each successful stop, Alliana’s turned trash into gold on the other end led by Jobert Meriales, who used his strength to finish from underneath the rim and cut down the deficit.
After nearly four minutes of silence, Team Legends’ Amor Zapanta scored with a slick layup, hoping to reignite their momentum.
But Alliana’s JR Alcantara quickly doused the flames with back-to-back triples.
Jun Tabora was the only other player to find the bottom of the net for Team Legends, but the man-to-man defense continued to be a nuisance as no shot was left uncontested while Alliana’s Jomar Tengco drained a three-pointer to extend their lead, forcing Team Legends to foul in order to stop the clock.
Team Legends still had a chance to catch up, but they missed crucial free-throws, allowing Alliana’s to run away with the win, 63-59, and claim the title.
Team captain Mark Matuguina shared his thoughts about their comeback victory. “I told my boys, ‘This is it. You can see they are tired, so this is the time to put pressure.’ ”
He added, “Thank you to the league commissioner, Nelson Samson, for creating a class B league for average players like me.”
The winners of the individual and other awards will be featured in Variety’s next edition.
