Furious to end their hunt for the crown, the Accountancy Griffins proved that they were the better predators against the Engineering and Architecture Tigers by besting them in the classic Men’s Basketball Championship, 88-79, held at 4th Floor, Martin Hall.
In the early mark of the first quarter, the Tigers got out on an early lead by scratching a 5-0 run while the Griffins were still adjusting their defense.
Andre Nebria and Jeucharist Binoya answered the call for the Griffins as they drained multiple threes and remarkably setting the plays for the team, respectively. The men in yellow ended the first quarter action on a 22-17 lead.
The Accountancy cluster maintained their tempo in the second quarter despite of the consecutive big shots from the EA, ending the first half with a 9-point lead, 45-36.
Griffins soared higher as Nebria went on a scoring tear by pulling off big shots after big shots beyond the three-point line, backed by team captain Jethro Taculin’s buzzer-beater three point shot, prompted a commanding 71-55 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Despite facing a 16-point deficit, the Tigers showed their never-say-die mentality by going on a comeback run where they muscled their way to the paint and outrebounded their opponents, cutting the lead into seven, 71-78.
With the Tigers catching up with the Griffins, the atmosphere heated immensely as fans, got wilder in cheering for their respective teams.
In the last minute of the fourth quarter, both teams traded baskets but it was Nebria’s clutch free throws that sealed the match.
“Grabe ka happy and grabe ka thankful, di na siguro madescribe through words. Daghan kayo mig challenges nga giface from eliminations to semis until championship pero inovercome parin namin. Sabi pa ng coach and captain namin, we should stay composed until the final buzzer sounds,” freshman Nebria stressed.
He also noted that “mental toughness and character prevail amidst the game’s intensity and physicality.”
“Thank you Lord for guiding us throughout the games. Thank you for my family for understanding we have late night practices. Thank you ASEC for the unending support since day 1, thank you sa BSA and Bellarmine ’18-19, sa whole cluster. Special thanks to Jeucharist Binoya for teaching us that basketball is more than just a sport,” Nebria expressed.
Meanwhile, Kent Oliver Abuzo of BS Accountancy shared how he felt during the game, emphasizing that “during the late rally of the Tigers in the fourth quarter, he was breathless until he heard the sound of the final buzzer”, which marked that the Griffins survived and won.
“As a freshman, naamaze ko sa kalingaw sa dula kay diri ra nako na-experience ang bongga na fiesta ky maski sa amoa, wala may ing-ani kadaghang lingaw unya sa intense sa dula, kay mashock-shock nalang jud ko kay grabe kagahot jud sa tanan,” Abuzo pointed out.
The Engineering and Architecture, and Accountancy clusters looked upon redeeming themselves this Palarong Atenista for their 1st and second runner-up finish last year, respectively.