By Jun Rana
This is as good as it gets.
Unheralded Jay Baltazar's barreling lay-up shot with 8 seconds to go lifted the GK Warriors to a heart pounding 54-52 win over No Way (Maricas) in Day 4 of the 35 and Over Division of the 2010 PAAD Palaro. The barreling lay-up, shot reminiscent of Philippine basketball legend Robert Jaworski, proved to be the winning basket as No Way missed their shot as time expired in the final possession of the game.
No way had actually mounted a huge comeback as they were down by seven at 49-42 with 3 minutes and 48 seconds remaining. However Ramil Magpantay and Eric Dollete of No Way triggered a 7-0 kamikaze attack to tie the count at 49 all, time down to 2 minutes in the game. Dollete hit a three point shot during that span. In the ensuing possession Tony Astoveza missed a shot but was fouled on the act of shooting. He converted two free throws to give the lead back to the Warriors, 51-49, time down to one minute and 30 seconds.
In the next possession, No Way found an open Norman Aquino who made a three point shot to give the lead back to No Way, 52-51, with over a minute left in the game. At this point the No Way fans in the arena were in frenzy and jumping for joy. In the ensuing possession, Baltazar took a shot and missed but was fouled on the act of shooting. He made one of two free throws to tie the game at 52 all, time down to 40 seconds. Still, No Way had a chance to win the game, but missed a crucial shot in its next possession. The Warriors grabbed the rebound with time down to 15 seconds.
Warriors Coach Herb Monsalud called a timeout to set up their final play in the next possession while No Way Coach Paul Micarsos gave his last minute instructions in the dramatic battle. In their next defensive sequence No Way focused on the Warriors big man Jim Reynolds, Astoveza and Dennis Balagtas. Baltazar who only had 3 points at that point went unnoticed and made the game winning shot to the delight of the screaming Warriors fans.
Early in the game the Warriors and No Way Team were locked in a tight battle. With 7 minutes left in the first half, the score was tied at 18 all. However the Warriors Big Three, Astoveza, Reynolds and Balagtas engineered a 13-4 run to finish the half at 31-22 in favor of the Warriors. Ramil Magpantay kept No Way in the thick of the fight with 10 points at halftime. He was ably supported by Marlowe Ulit and Aquino with 4 points apiece.
The second half saw a more energized No Way who answered the Warriors basket for basket. El Persons made his impact, and together with Magpantay, Dollete and Ulit quelled the challenge of Astoveza and Balagtas of the Warriors. No Way’s perseverance paid off as they tied the game at 49 all.
With the win, the Warriors grabbed the lead in the division with a 2-1 win loss record, ahead of No Way with a 1-1 record and the Delaware Titans with a 1-2 record.
Box Scores:
54 - GK Warriors: Tony Astoveza, 19; Dennis Balagtas, 14; Jim Reynolds, 10; Jay Baltazar, 5; Sonny De La Torre, 4; Ed Padilla, 2
52 – No Way: Ramil Magpantay,16, El Persons, 8; Marlowe Ulit, 7; Norman Aquino, 7; Eric Dollete, 7 Arnold Dawinan, 4; Riki Makasakit, 2; Alex Alday, 1
No comments:
Post a Comment