The MGC New Life basketball team secured its first win in the PCYAA season with a 23-point comeback against UNO High School, 59-64, in a game that came down to the wire last December 20, 2022, at the UNO High School gym.
Before the game, the Blue Pandas had a record of 2-4, while the New Lifers had a 0-3 record. Once the game started, the Blue Pandas immediately dominated, gaining a 10-point advantage over the New Lifers with a score of 17-7, only holding the New Lifers to single digits.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Blue Pandas expanded their lead to 23 points with a score of 36-13. However, New Lifer Maddox Lim led a comeback, scoring 6 of his 8 second-quarter points to cut the deficit down to 13 points with the score at 38-25.
Trey Chua of MGCNLCA started the third quarter with a quick turnaround jumper that changed the momentum towards the New Lifers' side, starting a run for MGCNLCA that brought down the deficit from 13 to 5 by the end of the third quarter.
Throughout the third quarter, the New Lifers only allowed the Blue Pandas to score 12 points and capped off the quarter with a post-jump shot by Marcus Qua, cutting the game to 5 points, 50-45, in favor of UNO.
With 3:56 left in the game, Chua hit another turnaround jumper to cut the score to 55-52. A few seconds later, New Lifer Adam Uy went one for two from the free throw line, cutting UNO's lead down to 2 points.
After a missed attempt by UNO, Chua got the rebound and took it the other way. He was fouled on a shot where he went two for two from the free throw line, giving them their first lead of the game.
Not long after, UNO regained the two-point lead, scoring 4 straight points, with the score now being 59-57, forcing MGCNLCA to call a timeout.
After a few misses by both teams, MGCNLCA finally regained the lead with Uy hitting a corner three, coming from an assist by Karl Yue from an excellent defensive possession, making the score 59-60.
Yue followed with a steal, throwing a no-look pass to Uy, who got another layup, bringing the score to 59-62.
Yue then hit the dagger with one final layup, closing the game with a final score of 59-64, handing the New Lifers their first victory.
The New Lifers had good games all around, with some notable performances coming from Uy, who dropped 18 points, Lim getting a nasty double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, Chua getting 11 points and nine rebounds, and Yue getting 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
UNO-MGC Score Roundup
MGC 64 - Uy 18, Lim 12, Chua T. 11, Yue 11, Qua 4, Chua E. 3, Lo L. 3, Tan A. 2
UNO 59 - Bautista 15, Choa 14, Sy 10, Ramos 7, Tecson 6, Perez 4, Choi 3
Quarters: 17-7, 38-25, 50-45, 59-64
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