Games Today: Luke (1*) vs Matthew (4) John (2*) vs Mark (3) *Twice to beat advantage Matthew forces rubber match against Luke GBBC, March 22, 2022. Matthew’s quest for greatness was evident as their balanced effort forced a do-or-die game for a spot in the 1st PBA finals. Luke was in a roll heading into the playoffs. After clinching the first seed of the tournament with back to back wins, their reward was a twice to beat advantage and a semifinal matchup against a hungry Matthew squad. Matthew was revitalized with the addition of high scoring forward Aaron Roblo during the first round. While they never found consistency in the entirety of the tournament, winning their 2nd round matchup against Luke gives them the confidence heading into a win or go home situation. The veteran teams started the game with a traditional back and forth affair. As both teams were trying to establish their footing in the game, Matthew was saddled as the tournament’s leading scorer, Roblo, was not getting his usual touches. Luke wasted no time employing playoff defense limiting the easy touches he usually gets. Both teams went immediately with their big guns to provide scoring. Matthew held a small lead, 25-21, heading into the 2nd half. Only 5 players from both teams scored in the half. Luke’s captain and superstar Mario Gayeta picked up where he left off last game, scoring 17 of his team’s 21. Guard Lloyd Duga-duga and center John Paul Caramoan contributed 1 basket each for the red team. On the other side, Roblo scored 16 which was subpar in his own standard. The Tank Vic Lardizabal scores 9 to back up the green team. The second half carried the same theme as Matthew kept the precarious lead while Luke stayed on the hunt to steal the game. Both offenses struggled uncharacteristically. Tough defense reigned as both teams showed physicality in an ode to the playoff atmosphere. However, the 2nd half of this game was all about the role players and who can provide enough supplementary punch to aid their superstars. Matthew was able to rely on their role players to claim the victory, 60-53, forcing another game to claim a finals ticket. Luke struggled as no one outside of their 1-2 punch and big man scored altogether. Gayeta was steady as expected, scoring 18 in the second half to finish with 35 big points for his team. Spitfire guard Duga-duga struggled to find his rhythm as he was only able to chuck up two 3-pointers in the game en route to 10 points. Caramoan added 8 points. We can expect Luke to regroup and bounce back on the do-or-die game next week. Matthew’s 1-2 punch of Roblo and Lardizabal scored only 13 points in the 2nd half. Roblo finished with a measly 25 points which was a little off than his average of 34 PPG for the tournament. The Tank finished with 13 points for the green team. However, the role players came up big as 3 players scored a combined 22 points in the 2nd half to fend off Luke’s threat of a comeback. Honorio Gayeta scored 10 points while Lunie Sebial and forward Jeff Alquizar contributed 8 and 4 respectively. The win by Matthew sets up a winner take all next game for a chance to compete for the championship of the 1st PBA tournament. Scores: 25-21, 60-53 Matthew 60 - 25 Aaron Roblo, 13 Vic Lardizabal, 10 Honorio Gayeta, 8 Lunie Sebial, 4 Jeff Alquizar, 0 Kyle Lardizabal, 0 Jun Adille Luke 53 - 35 Mario Gayeta, 10 Lloyd Duga-duga, 8 John Paul Caramoan, 0 Bay Gayeta, 0 Romel Galara, 0 Gabriel Tanyag, 0 Mariano Gayeta, 0 PJ Gayeta, 0 Ben Gayeta John punches first ticket to the finals through Apollos Aguinaldo’s game winning 3-pointer GBBC, March 22, 2022. A breakout game from sweet shooting guard Apollos Aguinaldo proves to be the difference as his booming triple with 9 seconds remaining sends John to the 1st PBA finals. John had a roller coaster season. After winning their first 3 games, they fell off quickly and lost their next 3 games to finish the season in 2nd place with a twice to beat advantage. Mark had a promising season but was marred by inability to strongly finish close games. Both young teams ended up with a 3-3 win-loss record to close the season. They are evenly matched as exemplified by their 2nd round matchup, a game of the year candidate, decided by only a single point via 2 heart wrenching free throws by Quisimundo. Will we see the same intensity in this semifinal matchup? John had the pedal to the metal to start the game jumping to an early lead. Mark was immediately thrown in an unfamiliar situation as they are the team who typically start the games strong. An early 3 point lead from John was quickly erased as Mr. Consistent Ponciano Tan went to work early. The first half was as close as it gets as John is led by early aggressive drives by shifty guard Raph Pacheco and inside stabs by superstar AC Gonzales. Late in the half, Mark took the driver seat with their suffocating defense and efficient offense. They closed the first half on a big run to carry a 34-27 lead. Tan and Gonzales both scored 15 points for their respective teams. Pacheco seconded Gonzales with 8 for John. Gotonero also started off strong with 8 points for the orange team. Center Ezekiel Aguinaldo added 4 points along with a multitude of rebounds as he took advantage of the absence of John’s big man Rey Malupa who was a late scratch in the game. The second half told a different story as John quickly turned the tide against Mark. They began to amp up their defense, closing the driving lanes and forcing tougher shots for Mark's offensive guns. They took advantage of their quickness as they out hustled Mark in stretches of the game. Newly wed forward Orly Malupa began to be aggressive as he attacked the defense inside while nursing a finger and left hand injury. Pacheco was steady as his shots were also falling in. After a scoreless 1st half, shooting guard Apollos Aguinaldo came alive as he provided the floor spacing John desperately needed. He scored on 2 quick baskets from the right wing that proved to be the confidence builder for the streaky shooter. After consecutive misses from Mark, John quickly found an open Aguinaldo who took advantage and hit 2 back breaking 3 pointers from the top of the key. The offensive outburst ballooned the lead to 10 points for John. A technical difficulty stopped the action momentarily with John leading by 7 points, 54-47, with 5 minutes remaining in the game. The time off was instrumental for both teams as they gained some rest for an exciting end game. Off the tme out, Tan quickly went to work and scored on consecutive points. This unleashed a huge run from Mark threatening to steal the game away. However during this run, big man Aguinaldo fouled out for Mark after a pocket pass by Ryan Malupa to Orly Malupa in the left wing resulted in a foul call. With momentum still on their side, Tan teamed up with Gotonero and Quisimundo to forge one last push. The huge run was capped off by a huge 3 pointer by Tan from the right corner, catching the final foul of Pacheco in the process. Tan missed the free throw however but tied the game at 60 a piece with less than 2 minutes remaining. John went to their superstar as Gonzales scored important baskets down the stretch. Tan was too much to handle though as he answered with his own baskets retaking the lead for Mark, 66-64, with less than 20 seconds remaining. Against a dwindling shot clock and a possible loss of their twice to beat advantage, John went with the hot shooting hand of Aguinaldo who generated a step back at the top of the key to score a huge 3 pointer with 9 seconds remaining. John retook the lead once again, 67-66. Off a blocked shot and 4 seconds of game clock to work with, Mark went to Gotonero as he drove into 2 defenders on the left wing and fished a foul with 0.8 seconds remaining. He has 2 free throws to win the game. Sounds like a deja vu from their February 22 encounter but this time with different actors. Gotonero missed the first free throw much to the delight of John. With a chance to still send the game to overtime, he muffed the second pressure-packed free throw as well, effectively sending John to the first finals seat of the 1st PBA finals. Tan finished with 29 points off a valiant effort for Mark. Gotonero came up big with 15 points to aid Mark’s cause. Big man Aguinaldo dominated the painted area with 12 points. Gonzales finished with a subpar 21 points but gained a lot of help from his teammates. Pacheco added 16 before fouling out. Forward Orly Malupa scored 13 and was huge in the 2nd half. The night belongs to shooting guard Apollos Aguinaldo who had a breakout game of 13 points with three 3 pointers. This is the first time he scored in double digits since the very first game of the season but it couldn’t come up in a better time, nonetheless. Mark would still have a chance to place 3rd as they await the result of the other series. John will now be waiting for their opponent in the finals. Scores: 27-34, 67-66 John 67 - 21 AC Gonzales, 16 Raph Pacheco, 13 Orly Malupa, 13 Apollos Aguinaldo, 4 Ryan Malupa, 0 Kevin Sanchez, 0 Jenzhel Sanchez, 0 Jolo Aguinaldo Mark 66 - 29 Ponciano Tan, 15 Marlito Gotonero, 12 Ezekiel Aguinaldo, 8 Axcel Quisimundo, 2 Gerald Gabriel, 0 Joey Aguinaldo, 0 Jake Pagatpat Playoffs Day 1 fallout
Luke will need to shake off their loss as they battle Matthew one more time for a chance to reach the finals. Mark prepares for the battle for 3rd playoff series against the team on the losing end of next week’s game. John is now waiting in the finals. The next game will be played on March 29, 2022 at GBBC. Games start at 7 PM every Tuesday. /written by: Kevin Sanchez /photos by: Chloe Aguinaldo
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Final Standings Team W L Quotient Margins Luke 4 2 +5 +11, -13, +4, -4, +6, +1 John 3 3 +17 +12, +13, +2, -1, -6, -3 Mark 3 3 +7 -12, +12, -4, +1, +11, -1 Matthew 2 4 -29 -11, -12, -2, +4, -11, +3 Matthew avoids major collapse as they held off furious John rally GBBC, March 8, 2022. Matthew controlled the majority of the game, holding on to victory with some key stops to prevent a major comeback by John. A win by John would give them the top spot. Ironically, they would face Matthew again in the playoffs if that happens. Matthew looks to spoil the party as they seek to drop John to 2nd place and await the winner of the next game. A blowout win by Matthew, however, can drop John down to 3rd place as per the quotient system. Stakes were high and this game would eventually set the tone for the rest of the night. The start of the first half saw both teams trying to get on rhythm as they are consciously setting their offensive plays and defensive strategies. It was a back and forth affair as both teams struggled at times to score a basket. Aaron Roblo dominated inside as he punished John with layups and bank-ins. It did not help the black and gold team as big man Rey Malupa was saddled by foul trouble, picking up an early 3rd foul. With an apparent downsize from the opposing team, Roblo continued scoring as Matthew raced to a 32-24 lead late in the half. Offense was sporadic for John as their main men AC Gonzales and Raph Pacheco missed some inside shots they usually finish. Roblo then went ballistic as they unleashed a 17-3 run to finish the first half with a 22 point advantage, 49-27. Roblo, in an other-worldly performance, outscored the entire John team as he scored 32 by himself. He was seconded by The Tank Vic Lardizabal with 8. Do-it-all-forward Orly Malupa paced John with 7 points. The green team picked up where they left off to start the 2nd half. They continued to fend off a John rally as they pad the lead to its highest at 27 points. They wisely milked the clock to set their plays whilst effectively limiting the momentum that the other team could gather. Matthew was protecting a large lead, 60-38, looking to coast to an easy win. Now on the brink of dropping to 3rd place, John played for pride as they plotted a major comeback plan anchored by their superstar Gonzales. John began to tighten their defense as they started to harass the ball handler of Matthew. The strategy was proven to be effective as they forced a lot of turnovers and got easy baskets on the other end at a furious pace. Gonzales started to carve his path down low as he scored some inside baskets coupled with and-one opportunities. Matthew began to unravel as they struggled to put the ball in the basket for the entirety of the game. It did not help their cause as their main ball handler, Honorio Gayeta, fouled out during the rally. An and-one opportunity by Gonzales seemed to spell more doom to Matthew as the ensuing action injured their main man Aaron Roblo. He went out of the game with an apparent right ankle injury, unable to return. John further trimmed the lead to 2, 66-64, off a clutch basket by shooting guard Apollos Aguinaldo who replaced starting guard Raph Pacheco who fouled out of the game. A miscue from John led to Lardizabal being fouled. The Tank split from the charity stripe to give Matthew a precarious 3 point lead with less than 3 seconds to go. A desperation 3 point attempt by Gonzales to tie the game rimmed out as time expired. Roblo continued his onslaught with 45 points for Matthew before his unfortunate injury. He has 2 weeks to recover before the playoffs start. The Tank added 13 while Kyle Lardizabal contributed 5 off the bench. After a slow start, Gonzales finished strong with 31 for John as their comeback fell short. Orly Malupa added 9 and Raph Pacheco chalked 8 for John. The loss for the black and gold team drops them to their 3rd straight loss of the tournament. Their comeback effort however incorporated by their higher overall quotient secured them the 2nd spot and a twice to beat advantage in the playoffs. Scores: 49-27, 67-64 Matthew 67 - 45 Aaron Roblo, 13 Vic Lardizabal, 5 Kyle Lardizabal, 4 Jeff Alquizar, 0 Honorio Gayeta, 0 Jun Adille John 64 - 31 AC Gonzales, 9 Orly Malupa, 8 Raph Pacheco, 6 Rey Malupa, 6 Ryan Malupa, 2 Apollos Aguinaldo, 2 Kevin Sanchez, 0 Jenzhel Sanchez Luke grabs top spot via an incredible game winner by Gayeta to beat Mark GBBC, March 8, 2022. Superstar Mario Gayeta provided the last punch of an exhilarating game as his layup with 2.9 seconds remaining in overtime gives Luke the top spot in the tournament. With Matthew’s win earlier in the night, a victory in this game becomes more important as the winner would take the top spot and the twice to beat advantage. The losing team would drop to 3rd place and will have a twice to beat disadvantage against John to start the playoffs. If the first game was any indication, we are in for a ride as two powerhouse teams lay it all on the court to masterfully end the elimination games of the 1st PBA tournament. A familiar recurring theme manifested itself as Mark quickly got their offense going and sent Luke searching for answers. The answer was a no brainer as they quickly leaned on their superstar Mario Gayeta who started rolling offensively. An ugly stretch during the first half went by where both teams struggled to score a basket leading to a low scoring half which was uncharacteristic for both teams equipped with such offensive firepower. Mark padded their lead further reaching as high as 8 points, 16-8. But Luke started to find their groove as their 1-2 punch came to the rescue. Gayeta and spitfire guard Lloyd Duga-duga combined to score the last 8 points of the half to trim the deficit to 1, 16-17, heading into the break. Gayeta started on fire with 10 points. Duga-duga added 6 for his team. Big man Ezekiel Aguinaldo led the orange team with 7 points while versatile forward Ponciano Tan aided him with 6 points. The offense for both teams clicked to start the 2nd half. Gayeta picked up where he left off scoring on multiple opportunities from almost every area on the floor. Luke takes the driver seat as the score is kept close all throughout. Curiously, Mr. Consistent Tan, who scored 48 last game, was not in his usual groove offensively as he failed to score consistently. Luke was ahead by 3, 40-37 looking to build a larger cushion heading to the final minutes. Guard Gerald Gabriel however scored off a left wing 3 pointer to even the score once again.
Mark relied heavily on offensive rebounds and putbacks by Aguinaldo to keep them in the game. Both teams continued to tussle as no one could build any type of momentum heading to the last minutes. Finally, Tan came alive in the final 2 minutes basically carrying his team behind his back. He scored on 2 consecutive baskets to give Mark a temporary lead. They were immediately answered by 2 clutch baskets from forward Bay Gayeta. Tan continued his crusade as he scored 4 points off free throws. Gayeta answered with 2 mid range clutch jumpers of his own, tying the game once again with less than 30 seconds remaining. Tan scored another layup but Gayeta quickly answered with another shot to tie the game at 54 with 9 seconds remaining. Mark failed to capitalize on the winning opportunity as they missed the possible game winning shot sending the game to an extra period. Luke seized the opportunity during the extra time as they quickly pounced and built a 6 point lead capped off by a three point shot by Duga-duga. Gabriel answered the call as he scored 5 quick points to eventually cut the deficit to a single point. Gayeta answered with another mid range. In a back breaking development, Tan fouled out and had to watch the game from the sidelines. The back and forth ensued as both teams took their turns with a single point lead. Gabriel scored a layup with less than 10 seconds remaining but Gayeta quickly answered with a layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. The desperate heave by Gotonero did not hit the rim as time expired. Tan led Mark’s valiant effort with 28 points as he displayed brilliance in the clutch. Center Aguinaldo was steady with 17 points dominating the boards as well. Gabriel saved his best game with 12 points, 7 on incredible clutch baskets in overtime, as he carried the baton when Tan fouled out. Duga-duga finished with 17 points to help Luke grab the top spot. The best player of the game is superstar Mario Gayeta who finished with an impressive 42 points including the gut wrenching game winner. He finished the elimination round with an MVP worthy performance. Luke will now face Matthew in the playoffs as they reap the twice to beat advantage reward. Mark on the other hand faces a familiar foe in John to complete the playoff matchups. Scores: 16-17, 54-54, 71-70 (OT) Luke 71 - 42 Mario Gayeta, 17 Lloyd Duga-duga, 6 Bay Gayeta, 4 Romel Galara, 2 John Paul Caramoan, 0 Gabriel Tanyag, 0 Mariano Gayeta, 0 PJ Gayeta, 0 Ben Gayeta Mark 70 - 28 Ponciano Tan, 17 Ezekiel Aguinaldo, 12 Gerald Gabriel, 8 Marlito Gotonero, 5 Axcel Quisimundo, 0 Joey Aguinaldo, 0 Joseph Aguinaldo, 0 Jake Pagatpat Results from March 8 John avoided a major meltdown by managing to keep the score close and snagging the second spot along with a twice to beat advantage because of a superior quotient than that of Mark. Mark now needs to beat John twice to move on to the finals. Matthew faces a red hot Luke to start the playoffs as they will work for an upset. Top Scorers of the Tournament
Playoffs start now. Luke wants to punch the first ticket to the finals as they battle a very game Matthew squad in the first game. John looks to dust off their straight losses as they clash with Mark in the 2nd game. Both games will be played on March 22, 2022 at GBBC. Games start at 7 PM every Tuesday. Wedding bells are ringing. A halt in the action please. We will take a 2 week break in our games before the playoffs. Our very own John’s Bro. Orly Malupa will exchange his hardcourt uniform for a tuxedo to exchange wedding vows with Sis. Arlene Callo on March 15, 2022 at GBBC. Let’s call it a perfect 50 points and a wonderful start of marriage for Bro. Orly and Sis. Arlene. Best wishes! /written by: Kevin Sanchez /photos by: Chloe Aguinaldo Current Standings Team W L Quotient Margins John 3 2 +20 +12, +13, +2, -1, -6 Mark 3 2 +8 -12, +12, -4, +1, +11 Luke 3 2 +4 +11, -13, +4, -4, +6 Matthew 1 4 -32 -11, -12, -2, +4, -11 Luke outshoots skidding John GBBC, March 1, 2022. Luke did enough offensively to stave off John who is now in a 2 game losing streak. Superstar Mario Gayeta exploded in the 2nd half to deliver a win to Luke as he outshoots the entire John team during the period. This win ties Luke with John at 3-2 in the standings as the latter finds themselves in a downward spiral losing their last 2 games. After witnessing several high scoring games in the past weeks, viewers are treated this time with a game of upmanship as Luke played it smart in the end game to win their 3rd game of the tournament. The first half was a low scoring affair as both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively. John went ahead 25-17 at one point but the red team made a run to finish the first half strong. They unleashed an 11-4 run to trim the lead to 1 heading to the break. Main man AC Gonzales leads all scorers at the half with 14. Shifty guard Raph Pacheco added 9 for John. Spitfire guard Duga-duga and big man John Paul Caramoan lead Luke with 9 points each. In the second half, the offense picked up for both teams. Duga-duga committed his 4th foul early in the half and John tried to capitalize. Missed shots and spongy defense was the downfall for John as Luke took the driver’s seat. It did not help matters when an inadvertent elbow from Pacheco hit Gonzales in the eye in a drive attempt. Luke took advantage of Gonzales’ temporary absence and created a comfortable cushion. Late in the game, Luke leads 54-44 looking to coast to a win. The black and gold team refused to give in and unleashed a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 4. Luke displayed veteran smarts as they took advantage of the lead and the clock winding down. Missed free throws from both teams kept the game close and exciting. However, Luke made enough to iced the game at the free throw line. Gayeta scored 20 of his 26 points in the 2nd half as he punished John in the mid range. Duga-duga added 11 in the 2nd half to finish with 20 points. AC Gonzales top scored his team with 27 points. Pacheco added 14 for their team’s valiant effort. The win continued the pattern for Luke as they continued to swap wins and losses. They look to break off this pattern as they battle Mark in the last game of the tournament. Scores: Luke 59 - 26 Mario Gayeta, 20 Lloyd Duga-duga, 9 John Paul Caramoan, 4 Bay Gayeta, 0 Gabriel Tanyag, 0 Romel Galara, 0 Mariano Gayeta, 0 PJ Gayeta, 0 Ben Gayeta John 53 - 27 AC Gonzales, 14 Raph Pacheco, 5 Apollos Aguinaldo, 3 Rey Malupa, 2 Ryan Malupa, 1 Orly Malupa, 1 Jenzhel Sanchez, 0 Kevin Sanchez, 0 Sam Pacheco, 0 Gel Rafols Mark halt Matthew’s momentum with big 2nd half performance GBBC, March 1, 2022. Mark’s team plays trump Matthew late in the game amidst an offensive exhibition by Tan and Roblo. Mark kept their momentum going as they rallied in the 2nd half to stop Matthew in their tracks. Both teams relied heavily on their respective offensive guns as they battled for better position in the standings. Coming off a big win, Matthew was looking to build some more steam to crash the party before the playoffs. A win in this game would tie them with Mark but the black and orange team would do everything in their power to deny the pushback. Matthew started off hot as they scored the first 8 points of the game courtesy of an offensive explosion from Roblo. An early timeout cooled down the stalwarts of Mark as they slowly eased into the flow of the game. It did not help their cause as big man Ezekiel Aguinaldo found himself in foul trouble as they could not stop Roblo inside from scoring. Ponciano Tan made his presence felt as he scored 14 points to trim the deficit. Roblo finished the half with 21 big points as he basically carried the green team going to the half leading 29-25. Mark changed their defensive strategy to start the second half as they tightened up their defense inside. They snatched the lead early in the 2nd half as Mr. Consistent Tan continued to score. Roblo continued his hot streak but points came sporadically this time as Mark focused on stopping Matthew’s offensive flow. The green team also went into early penalty in the 2nd half that did not help their bid. Foul trouble plagued The Tank Vic Lardizabal as he nursed 4 fouls all throughout the 2nd half. Guard Gerald Gabriel also made his mark by fishing more fouls as he added 4 points off the stripe. Big man Aguinaldo played limited minutes before fouling out in the midway of the second half. The Tank tried to help Roblo offensively but his shots were not falling for Matthew. Shifty guard Lunie Sebial came out as the Robin to Roblo’s Batman as he scored 10 points to keep them in the game. However, Tan continued to rain down the score punctuated by a 3 point shot that increased the lead that Mark would protect until the end game. The Tank finished with 6 points before fouling out. Matthew had a chance to trim the deficit but 2 consecutive costly turnovers were converted by Gotonero and Quisimundo on the other end. Aaron Roblo finished with a fiery 43 points as he dominated the paint all throughout the game. However, Ponciano Tan stole the show as he finished 2 points shy of an Osmeña. Mr. Consistent now sets the record for most points in the tournament with 48. Scores: Mark 74 - 48 Ponciano Tan, 9 Ezekiel Aguinaldo, 8 Axcel Quisimundo, 5 Marlito Gotonero, 4 Gerald Gabriel, 0 Joey Aguinaldo, 0 Joseph Aguinaldo, 0 Jake Pagatpat Matthew 63 - 43 Aaron Roblo, 10 Lunie Sebial, 6 Vic Lardizabal, 2 Honorio Gayeta, 2 Jeff Alquizar, 0 Kyle Lardizabal, 0 Jun Adille Credits
Credits to Bro. Axcel Quisimundo and Sis. Leah Joy Gayeta for helping this writer to gather the right information for this article. Fallout from March 1 Three teams are tied at 3-2 with John holding on to the top spot with their superior quotient. Mark takes the 2nd spot with a higher winning margin than Luke. This development sets up next week’s game between Luke and Mark to have more implications than any other game. Matthew settles for the 4th spot waiting for who will emerge with the top spot next week. Final games of elimination to be played next week. John looks to bounce back from a 2 game losing streak against an ever dangerous Matthew. Mark and Luke battle in the hard court for a chance to grab the top spot of the standings. Both games will be played on March 8, 2022 at GBBC. Games start at 7 PM every Tuesday. /written by: Kevin Sanchez /photos by: Michaella Pacheco |
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