Since their overtime win in game one last Wednesday, all they had to do was hang on.
“We knew that we can win it, but we didn’t take anything for granted,” said Proa’s Coach Rufino Aguon after dominating FGC Construction, 104-76 in the 2011 Garapan Basketball League’s championship series on Friday.
Claiming game two was all they needed to win the title, as FGC collapsed with more than a 10-point deficit in the second half.
This was Jack Lizama’s time to shine after scoring a game high 31 points to gain the Finals MVP title.
“We practiced and worked again on our plays and defense yesterday, and they all looked rested because they looked pretty strong tonight,” said Aguon before being doused in water by his players.
FGC went the other way around and slipped on more than five turnovers in the fourth quarter. Kae Bernardo couldn’t put up a fight despite piling 17 of his 25 points in the second half.
Pete Iguel, Marvin Rabauliman, and Gino Libuw took turns at the basket and lifted Proa to a 79-57 lead 1:09 in the final period. Lizama fired a triple after Iguel’s layup to drive the last nail in FGC’s coffin.
The game wasn’t as lopsided in the first half when FGC trailed by just four points during the opening 10 minutes.
Proa’s Dan Barcinas worked his way behind the three-point line and hammered two shots to stretch their lead before halftime. He and James Sablan tallied 10 points while Iguel scored 28.
FGC — trying to build momentum — was repeatedly shot down by Proa’s winning run in the third period.
Proa’s performance was “still the same” since Wednesday night according to Aguon.
“We were turning the ball over a couple times, so I called time outs and they did a little better,” he said.
It wasn’t long before Rex Yabut fouled out from the court, crippling FGC’s offense. Lerio Pagarao shot only half his baskets in the fourth quarter and scored six points for a 12 total. Banjo Basila, whose pass was blocked by Barcinas before the buzzer, added only two points since the third period. Zack Babauta, Rocyl Ritual, and Morales poured in three points each.
“Our plan was to keep our lead or grow on the third (quarter). Usually if you have a pretty big lead going into the fourth, it’s hard for the other team to catch up,” noted Aguon.
The ‘plan’ worked perfectly as FGC fell behind, 73-57 after Proa’s aggressive third quarter offense.
Ogumoro’s buzzer-beating triple officially sealed the game despite their huge advantage.
Aguon scored a medal for Best Coach after the match.
Should FGC win, both sides would’ve been forced to a third game.
Proa received $1,000 in prize money aside from the traditional championship trophy.
Christmas was much sweeter for Iguel, who bagged the Regular Season MVP title.
Joining the league’s Mythical Five were IT&E-Konflikt’s Jawn Joyner, Iguel, Pagarao, Mobil’s Jun Estolas, and Barcinas.
Estolas and Ol’ Aces’ Tony Diaz were named the Scoring Machines while Blue Haus-Satbahi’s Budz Camacho won the Shot Block King title.
Other recognized individuals were: Elmer Esdrelon (Best in Steals), Dexter Tenorio (Best in Sportsmanship), Gyles Ruluked (Best in Rebounds), Zack Babauta (Best Defensive Player), Bernard Aquino (IT&E Sixth Man Player Award), and Brandon Talania (Darling of the Crowd).
Estolas and Iguel won Best in Assists and Best in 3-Point Shots, respectively.
Scores:
NMC Proa 104 – J. Lizama 31, P. Iguel 28, D. Barcinas 10, J. Sablan 10, M. Rabauliman 6, D. Barcinas 6, K. Chariton 4, Ogumoro 5, G. Libuw 2, P. Mendiola 2
FGC Construction 76 – K. Bernardo 25, R. Yabut 16, B. Basila 14, L. Pagarao 12, Z. Babauta 3, R. Ritual 3, Morales 3
Quarterscores: 24-20, 46-37, 73-57, 104-76
