With "Gab is a warrior" proudly brandished across the team's chests, the second seed MGC New Life (MGCNL) basketball team was crowned the champions of the 15-Under Chachago Invitational Basketball League last April 3, as they trumped the top seed Chiang Kai Shek College (CKSC), 73-57, at the Philippine Cultural College gym.
“Although Gab wasn’t physically there in the game, it felt like he was because of the atmosphere, from the players, to the parents, and even the coaches. So we pushed ourselves to get that win for him because he should have been here with us to experience it,” said Kurt Sotingco, as they remembered and dedicated their victory to their former teammate.
When asked about his thoughts on how the players performed in the game, Coach John Sia stated that, “They did great. They all followed the game plan, and the players were very tough, strong, and consistent in every play.”
MGCNL was electric, starting the game on a 12-0 run led by Adam Uy's seven points and Adrian Tan's five points.
The first quarter ended with the score of 20-6 in favor of MGCNL, with Uy scoring 11 points and Tan scoring the other nine points for the New Lifers.
Three minutes into the second quarter, CKSC started to fight back, cutting the New Lifers’ lead to only 10 points, 25-15.
After the Blue Dragons cut the lead down to one point, Uy ended the dry spell by scoring a floater, putting the New Lifers’ lead back to three, 27-24, at 2:45 left in the second quarter.
Not long after, the Blue Dragons scored back, making the score 27-26, which was countered by Kurt Sotingco's bucket over Chiang Kai’s, 6'8" big man Owen Calanasan.
To end the first half, 35-30, MGCNL maintained their lead, with Uy and Tan being the only players scoring more than 10 points, having 19 and 11 points, respectively.
The third quarter began with MGCNL showing no sign of stopping as Tan scored five early points for the New Lifer. Uy and Riley Hui both contributed two points, forcing the blue dragons to call a timeout, 44-34, three minutes into the third quarter.
MGCNL closed the third quarter, 53-44, with a hook shot from Miles Co.
During the game's final quarter, MGCNL went on an 11-0 run led by Tan and Hui, extending the lead to 64-49, forcing CKSC to call a timeout.
To close the game, Lucas Lo knocked down two out of two free throws, making the final score of the game 73-57 in favor of MGCNL.
Adrian Tan was named the Chachago Player of the game, getting 26 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and four steals, while Adam Uy was chosen as the league MVP.
Scores
MGCNL: Tan A. 26, Uy 26, Tan J 6, Lo 6, Hui 5, Sotingco 2, Co 2
CKSC: Pedarce 20, De Jesus 19, Delantar 14, Calanasan 4, Chong 0
Quarters: 20-6, 35-30, 53-44, 73-57