Sports Eye
How the Flames won
By Jesus A. Garcia
THE much-awaited battle between two undefeated school titans in the 2014 Universities and Colleges Athletic Association of Pangasinan (UCAAP) Jimmy Fernandez Basketball Challenge finally took place last Thursday. Although it’s a no-bearing game for the two who already entered the semifinals, having seized the twice-to-beat advantage, the hostility turned to be an intense match from the start till the end. Many observers felt they were already watching a championship game because of its high intensity.
Prior to their meeting, pundits said the Lyceum Northwestern University Dukes had a slight edge to win the skirmish being the two-time and the defending champion of the league. But the result was the other way around. Jay Ronquillo’s determined boys overpowered the season-trained Dukes of head coach Angel Gumarang. (See related story on this page).
The Flames took the first two baskets and led by four points at the first juncture, 21-17, and withstood the threat at the start of the third after relinquishing the front by one, 43-44, after a 43-43 first deadlock at the end of the half period. Capitalizing on the Dukes multiple turnovers, the Flames stepped on the gas halfway in the third with its key players Ardel Valdez, Jioni Laca, Rolly Bravo and Jomar Ordoña doing most of the damage, and gave then 13-point lead, 85-72, 2:08 minutes left in the fourth.
From there on, it was all counter-baskets for both teams up to the final buzzer with the Flames prevailing by 11 points, 95-84. Jun Amado, the Pangasinan commissioner of BARECOM who handles the officiating said whoever wins Flames vs. LNU Urdaneta City game on Monday (October 13) will face fourth finisher AIE College Green Eagles in the semis and have to enjoy the twice-to-beat advantage. Same format will be applied with the Dukes against the Urdaneta City based International College of Excellence (ICE) for placing second during the elimination round.
I believe what badly caused the defeat of the Dukes were the 18 turnovers they committed that I listed in my record book, and that most of these errors were converted by the Flames. The second contribution was their poor free throw shooting in the fourth and final canto with Dukes converting only 10 of 19 or roughly 52 percent, while Flames nailed 16 of 24 charity shots or 66 percent average. Dukes got 41 free throws for the full four quarters and successfully drained only 24 or just 58 percent average while Flames with 37 free shots overall and sank 25 or around 67 percent. You can see now the difference, hombres.
Anyway last Thursday’s match is just a prestige game and only ego was at stake. The real battle starts on Wednesday and I’m expecting to see you guys there at astrodome to cheer and jeer especially if the hard-court officials bungle their jobs. This is not the FIBA or the Asian Games but UCAAP tilt is our league, the real battle of Pangasinan’s best basketball tertiary schools competitions.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. I CORINTIHIANS 7: 39
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