SHANE Deleon Guerrero went coast-to-coast and connected the clutch bank shot to hand AK Toyota the win over IT&E and the championship of the inaugural Marianas International Basketball League Fantasy Draft Tournament on Friday at the Agape Christian School gym.
AK Toyota established dominance early in the game as the chemistry of the team’s first five was unmatched. Frank Ferrer and Deleon Guerrero led the run with seven and five points while Juan Camacho and Webb Gontar cleaned up the mess from inside the paint to give AK Toyota an eight-point advantage.
IT&E fought back with Airson Atan and Kelvin Fitial in the frontline, combining for nine points. But AK Toyota’s sturdy defense controlled the boards and denied any second-chance buckets as the first half ended with AK Toyota ahead, 22-14.
In the second quarter, AK Toyota started to lose touch offensively as IT&E successfully shut down Ferrer and Deleon Guerrero. However, AK Toyota’s Chris Lilles came off the bench to knock down two consecutive triples while team mate Ferrer added another bucket to maintain a comfortable lead, 36-28.
In the third canto, IT&E was powered by the quick first step of Rodel Pastrana who sliced through defenders to finish at the rim with six points. Team mate Preston Basa contributed from afar with two three-pointers while Ed Diaz took care of the inside with four points.
But once again, AK Toyota gradually bounced back with Gontar connecting crucial mid-range jumpers and Ferrer delivering to remain in the driver’s seat, 51-44.
In the fourth and final quarter, IT&E stepped up its game with Ed Diaz extending his range with back-to-back triples while Meljune Capalad and Fitial scored as well to cut the deficit.
During the last four minutes of the game, Pastrana scored 11 points, including a clutch layup to hand IT&E the lead for the first time, 72-71, with only 4.8 seconds remaining on the clock.
With no timeouts left, AK Toyota were forced to bring the ball down from the opposite end of the court with Deleon Guerrero dribbling coast-to-coast and pulling up at the free-throw line for a running shot which banked off the board and into the net for the game-winning shot, 73-72, that gave AK Toyota the championship.
When asked what was going through Deleon Guerrero’s mind during the final few seconds of the game, he said: “I don’t know, it was all mentality. I was just happy. We came a long way,” said the 26-year-old while the crowd chanted “MVP.”
AK Toyota Coach Denniz said his players “lost their composure and their confidence” when IT&E seized the lead. “I told them to just go back there, play hard and play as a team.”
With no timeouts, he added, “the team knew they had to give it to Shane and go all the way.”
Coach Denniz said he would like “to thank all the players, fans, AK Toyota, Clint Albert, the organizers and Pastor Pang of Agape Christian School.”
AK Toyota Sales Manager Kevin Barnes poses with the team members and organizers Clint Albert and Elias Rangamar after AK Toyota won the championship of the inaugural Marianas International Basketball League Fantasy Draft Tournament on Friday at the Agape Christian School gym.
AK Toyota’s Shane Deleon Guerrero takes the off-balanced shot against three IT&E defenders during the championship game of the inaugural Marianas International Basketball League Fantasy Draft Tournament on Friday at the Agape Christian School gym.
