THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 4 Number 8 | May 2014
SPORTS
19
PAMPANGA BEST RETAINS TITLE
PAMPANGA Best retained the 2014 PCYC Marrickville championship with a nail-biting finish
against AgKhro (Aguman Khroliks), 59-58, at Marrickville last week.
Finals action at Marrickville PCYC championship
By RAY POLICARPIO
CHESTER Coronel muffed a
chance to seize the upper hand
for Pampanga Best team with a
botched lay-up in the dying seconds of the game, and the clock
stopped for regulation time with
the score locked at 57-all.
The three-minute extension
produced one of the best defensive and classic matches as both
sides rotated the ball to find the
highest percentage of attempt at
the basket.
A n error by Mañas was
scooped by Cortez, who scored
a twinner to seal the game for
the defending champion, 59-58,
with time down to 2.5 seconds of
the extended period.
AgKhro (Aguman Khroliks) comprised players from the
two squads scheduled to play for
the GM Bankstown crown the
following weekend.
Its main players Lon Mantua, Bing Mantua and Joet Paule
are all part of the Amigos winning tradition. Olet Pineda, Vic
Guinto, Reginald Peña, Russell
Bukalan, Patrick Vergara from
the GM Bankstown League and
Liverpool cager Christian Zarate completed the side. Coach
was Anthony Dungca.
C o a ch Edsel Deang had
banked on the core of its championship squad led by veteran
Byron Murphy and high flying
Marlon Mañas.
He infused youth into his
team by bringing RJ Butacan,
Gulliber Cortez, speedster
Otaner Francisco and Mark
Roquid.
To beef up his frontline,
Deang threw in Bernard Bautista, lanky Chester Coronel and
Ervin de la Peña.
There was an eerie quiet
during the warm-up as players
from both sides went through
their stretching and shooting
routines.
The opening stages of the
grand final saw erratic plays
from both teams that could have
been the result of nerves going
haywire.
Mañas opened the scoring with a trey that went in on a
prayer to put Pampanga up, 3-0.
Ag K h ro countered with
frontal assaults by Lon Mantua, Bing Mantua, Olet Pineda
and Christian Zarate to take the
lead, 10-4, at 5min 49sec into the
first half.
Murphy pumped his chest
and went into a shooting frenzy
with treys that elicited a similar
response from teammates Coronel and Mañas to keep it close,
20-2 İ