Tag: company

Gilas girls enter topflight Fiba company after China romp

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The Gilas girls, with program director Pat Aquino (second from right), erupt in celebration as the final buzzer sounds. —FIBA ASIA PHOTO

The Gilas Pilipinas crew crushed one foe after another on its way to the Fiba U18 Asia Cup for Women’s finale, but on the eve of its most important game, national coach Julie Amos assured everyone that this band of hard-fighting girls still has another gear in it.

And they did just that on Sunday, ripping Lebanon to shreds, 95-64, at Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China, to complete a riveting quest that not only secured a Division A promotion but also completed the program’s redemption story.

Alyssa Rodriguez starred for the young Nationals with 22 points built on six triples. Alicia Villanueva, Naomi Panganiban, Sophia Canindo and Ava Fajardo also came through with twin-digit scores as the young Filipinos repeated over the Lebanese after dismantling them in the group phase.

“Now the seniors, U-18, and U-16 programs are all in Division A. We know there’s a lot more to work on. We celebrate now [but] prepare for the future,” Amos told the Inquirer shortly after the triumph.

“We are so happy for the girls and the program. With the support of the [Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas], especially executive director Erika Dy and president Al Panlilio, we wouldn’t have made this happen,” assistant coach and women’s program director Pat Aquino said in a separate message.

Breaking away

The Nationals got to work in the second period, scoring 33 while limiting the enemy to just nine points. That cutthroat trend carried over to the second half, as the Gilas girls played commendable team basketball with Gabriella Ramos, Jolzyne Impreso, Aubrey Lapasaran, Ashlyn Abong, Tiffany Reyes, Margarette Duenas and Venice Quinte all contributing.

The triumph atoned for the Filipinos’ botched attempt two years ago in Bangalore, India, where the National Five ran into Malaysia in the semifinals, eventually falling short of tabbing a promotion.

The Gilas girls can now compete in the main tournament where Asia’s traditional powerhouses are at. Australia and China are battling for the Division A crown at Longhua Cultural and Sports Center as of press time.

“We’ve had an amazing run from the Seaba to the Asia Cup. We hope that we continue to give honor to our country and kababayans,” Aquino said. INQ



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After very long wait, Bolts now belong in company of PBA immortals

On: By: admin


Chris Newsome –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

At long last, the Meralco Bolts, perhaps the team with the most number of heartbreaks in terms of chasing a PBA championship, were able to write a happy ending to this story.

And it took one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history to deliver the winning shot that announced Meralco’s coming—after a 14-year wait—as a league immortal.

“There was a time that we really got discouraged because we kept failing and failing,” said Chris Newsome, whose baseline shot with a second left sealed the 80-78 victory and a 4-2 best-of-series win, that gave the Bolts the Philippine Cup, the most prestigious prize in the big league.

A missed three-pointer from June Mar Fajardo, who earlier tied the count at 78 with three seconds left with a desperate triple, sealed the upset as the Beermen failed to prevent the Bolts from finally completing their long chase of a crown.

But Newsome, who in his first of four previous Finals appearances in the 2016 Governors’ Cup didn’t convert a potential winning shot in Game 5, came through when it mattered, his promise to bring a title to the Meralco headquarters in Ortigas finally fulfilled.

“That’s a sign that if you work harder, you keep improving yourself and keep believing in yourself, good things will happen,” added Newsome, who before the season savored the taste of winning as part of Gilas Pilipinas’ run to the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Meralco not only won the PBA title for the first time, it also ended a 53-year search for a trophy in big-time basketball which it last tasted when Robert Jaworski led the Reddy Kilowatts to glory in the 1971 MICAA Open.

That league is long gone, and the championship trophy hasn’t been seen since the canteen at the Meralco gym was closed. Now, it can add the Jun Bernardino Trophy to its collection.

To say that the Bolts won it unexpectedly is fair. At one point, the team handled by coach Luigi Trillo and active consultant Nenad Vucinic was staring at an early vacation when a stunning loss to winless Converge dropped to 3-5 in the eliminations.

But Meralco persevered, snatching the third seed in the playoffs after denying San Miguel an elimination round sweep in Batangas City, before surviving old nemesis Barangay Ginebra in a semifinal that went the full seven games.

“That was the goal, to just overcome [Ginebra] and we were able to do that,” said Newsome. “I think that allowed us to gain that confidence to come out and give it a good run. We peaked at the right time.”

Newsome and Cliff Hodge, another Meralco lifer, played with a spirit never seen in the past. Allein Maliksi used negative press to fuel himself to vital performances in the last two games of the Finals, while Raymond Almazan, Bong Quinto, Brandon Bates, Anjo Caram and many others delivered.



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Tears of joy were all over the court when the final buzzer sounded as the Bolts finally reached the mountain top. INQ