Franco Nube 
A thrilling rivalry between two external campuses emerged during the championship games of the SSU Palaro Basketball Women’s category, with Paranas delivering a major upset to the tournament’s only unbeaten team, Mercedes, earlier today at SSU gymnasium.
Being the team on top of the standings with a record of 3 wins and 0 losses, Mercedes was the favorite to win it all, and were given the twice-to-beat advantage for the championship match, over Paranas whose record after the elimination games stood at 2-1, their only L being served by Mercedes.
The first duel for the championship games gave rise to a neck-and-neck battle that saw Paranas handing the first fatal blow to Mercedes, as they narrowly evaded the relentless defense of Mercedes to snatch the W, 66 – 60, giving them a closer look at the championship title.
With the taste of victory lingering on their tastebuds, Paranas gave an all-out pursuit during their second match in order to finally secure their spot as the undisputed champions of the basketball court for the women’s category; their total domination of the boards, unmatchable swiftness, and hustle plays allowed them to triumph over Mercedes for the second time, ending the game with a score of 63 – 58.
Both teams were evenly matched for the duration of the first half with the lead being snatched back and forth, however the lead for Paranas swelled during the 3rd quarter of the game as the twin towers of Paranas, #13 Joyce Lagbo and #14 Jouana Lagbo showed total control of the rebounding battle, snatching offensive rebounds and sinking in post-up shots, extending their lead to 43 – 33 by the end of the 3rd period.
When the last quarter began, Mercedes showed the crowd that their clean 3-0 record was not a fluke, as they fought back and went on a 10-2 run in order to get a closer look at victory, headed by their team captain, #20 Nichole Rebato, whose unguardable crossovers allowed her to penetrate the paint and their shooting guard, #08 Eline Mae Patiga, who made it rain from beyond the arc, allowing them to bring the lead down to 2-points with 40-seconds left on the clock.
But the leading scorer for Paranas did not allow their opponent to snatch the victory, as #23 Mary Rose Abamo, led the offensive attack against Mercedes, sinking two consecutive long threes with more than a minute to go, and driving to the paint fearlessly, giving her two crucial free-throws with seconds left on the clock, serving as the dagger that allowed Paranas to be called champions.
“Ma-enjoy kay syempre first-time magchampion ha college-level basketball, first time ko ini mag-uyag basketball yana nga college tapos naka-champion dayon,” said Paranas’ Abamo when asked about how she feels after their victory; Abamo is also part of the team who won the championship title for women’s volleyball.
“Malipayon po kami nga nagchampion kami, at least po mahingangadto gihap kami ha SCUAA same as last year,” answered Joyce Lagbo of Paranas when asked what it’s like to be victorious. The Lagbo sisters said that they have been playing basketball since elementary school, and are already used to being teammates on the court — explaining their chemistry; the Twin Towers of Paranas also played for SSU during last year’s Regional SCUAA-8 Games.
The head coach of Paranas, Benigno Hilvano Jr., told The Tradesman in an interview that he and his assistant coach, Loy Oreo, anticipated a close match against Mercedes, but they found the key tactic that would secure their win, which is stopping Mercedes’ Rebato from penetrating the paint, and limiting Patiga’s long-range shots.
“Okay man gihap, may panghihinayang la… sobra hin kulang mga players an amon team, waray na-substitute… an kabutlaw talaga namon,” said Mercedes’ Rebato when asked how she felt after the match, and the reason why she thinks they lost against Paranas.
talatag ni Brian Benedict Orlanda | The Tradesman
View all photos on Facebook at: SSU Palaro
