UV Lancers skipper Mark Gerard Malagar flies for the basket passing through PCGS Blue Lions defenders as he helps lift his team to earn the coveted Golden BTC Cup as 16-under champions.
BANILAD TOWN CENTRE, Cebu City (28 August 2011) — University of the Visayas (UV) rose back after a game one setback in a best of three series to eventually earn the championship title at 16-under in the 3rd BTC Cup today.
The same was true for Sotero B. Cabahug (SBC) Forum for Literacy after it stumbled in game two in the best-of-three series at 12-under in Banilad Town Centre.
St. Alphonsus Catholic School (SACS) and Team B of St. Paul Learning Center (SPLC) simply overpowered their opponents denying them a third game to grab the titles at 14-under and 10-under.
16-under
PCGS Blue Lions centerpoint man Aldred Du drives past his UV Lancers counterpart Mark Joseph Basea in the deciding Game 3 of their 16-under Finals battle.
Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS) gave UV a pressured-packed game at the start of their series that rattled the knees of the Lancers to grab game one, 8-6, of the series presented by Thirsty, Dimsum Break and Nike.
With team orchestrator Jean Ray Tejam not playing on a Sunday for spiritual reasons, Myko Alvarez took charge at game one, scoring six points for the team, while containing UV’s Shawn Vincent Opolentisima.
The Lancers, however, zeroed in their defense on Alvarez in game two that limited the latter to nothing, while Opolentisima got himself into rhythm firing five hits in game two to give UV the needed win, 8-5.
Opolentisima became unstoppable in game three scoring 7 points, including a shot from beyond the arc, to earn for UV the golden BTC Cup over PCGS, 13-9, in this tournament backed by Robinson’s Supermarket and Nature Spring.
Jayzon Sy stepped up for PCGS with two bombs from beyond the arc and a goal but not enough to bail out the Blue Lions that lost steam in the last two minutes of the final game.
14-under
SACS Eagles wingman Junnelve Tumulak goes for the basket against PCGS Blue Lions defenders as he helps lift his team to earn the coveted Golden BTC Cup as 14-under champions.
The SACS Eagles were simply too tough a team to overcome for the 14-under PCGS Blue Lions as the former swept wins, 7-6 at game one and an overwhelming 11-5 at game two.
A validation of his worth in being eventually adjudged as the 2011 BTC Cup 14-under Most Valuable Player (MVP), Ian Renz Singculan carried SACS to earn the crown, scoring nine points in the finals.
PCGS led game two and had the momentum with the score at 5-2 over SACS when their battle got interrupted with over 6-minutes still left in their 10-minute game to give way to the Holy Mass that had just started at the venue.
The Blue Lions scored none as the game resumed.
12-under
CIC Blue Angels' wingman Kelvin Demura drives past SBC Forum skipper Ram Denzylle Pepito as he tries to lift his team that settled for the smaller runner-up Golden BTC Cup. SBC Forum became the 12-under champions.
Ram Denzylle Pepito started hot in the 12-under series banging in seven goals at game one for SBC Forum at it edged Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion (CIC), 8-7.
The Forums silenced CIC Blue Angels pointsman Christopher Go but Kelvin Anthony Kyle Demura stepped up scoring four points with Zandyll Gomonit pitching in three.
Demura, a bit lay back during the eliminations, took leadership of the CIC squad even since the playoff started, scoring five marks, while containing Pepito who managed only two goals when the Blue Angels prevailed at game two, 8-5.
SBC Forum skipper Ram Denzylle Pepito fies high.
Game three came as a highly defensive game on both squads with Pepito scoring only two points and giving opportunities for Daniel Selpa and Karl Frederick Osua to contribute a piece.
The Blue Angels could only score once through Demura and eventually bowed to the Forums, 1-4, and lost their dreams for each to bring home the champions’ medal from the tournament sponsored by Cherifer Growth Vitamins.
10-under
SPLC Paladins' Team A skipper Joshua Balankig drives for a basket against Team B centerman Ian Miguel Abella, an effort not enough to lift his team.
Seeded No. 2 during the semi-final games, the SPLC Paladins’ Team B upset their brothers in the top-seeded Team A, 6-4 in game one and 5-3 in game two, to earn the championship medals.
The opposing Paladin squads played like they were not brothers, even putting game one to an overtime at 3-all at the end of regulation.
The sibling rivalry peaked during the extension.
But Ian Miguel Abella had the force in his hands as he literally carried SPLC-B to back-to-back wins scoring nine points with wingman Prince Evan Aulga Sollano contributing two of the team’s total production.
SPLC Team A Trebuchet bomber Ray Orville Ybañez shoots but defended by Ian Miguel Abella who lifted SPLC Team B to victory.
It came to be a lone jousting quest for SPLC-A skipper Joshua Balangkig who scored all his team’s points, as wingman Ray Orville Ybañez did not find his rhythm to get marks with his trebuchet-fired bombs.
Both teams nonetheless will present to their school by Wednesday, Aug. 31, two golden BTC Cups, the bigger champion cup from Team B and the smaller first runner-up cup from Team A.
The BTC Cup had gone on a third year the support of Holy Kettle Corn, Tutoring Club, and Optical Adult & Child, distributor of Lacoste, Oakley, Tag Heuer, Giordano, Levi’s and Silhouette sunglasses.
btc2011cup.wordpress.com 