By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Let’s take it back to the early 2000s, llonggo basketball fans.
After almost two months of basketball action, the JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) Season III ‘School Wars’ high school alumni grand finals is already all-set.
It’s a throwback feeling all over again as rival schools Tiong San Blue Lions and the Hua Siong College of Iloilo Red Phoenix will go toe-to-toe for the first-ever ‘School Wars’ high school alumni championship title.
After surviving the hot-shooting Angelicum School of Iloilo Blue Owls during the play-in stage, the Blue Lions continued its fine display of basketball and took down the tournament’s second-seed Saint Joseph School of Iloilo Templars, 89-78, during the knockout semifinals.
After a nip-and-tuck first three quarters, the Blue Lions’ timely three-point shooting and crisp ball movement torched the Templars who ran out of gas in the last quarter of the game.
St. Joseph failed to sustain their firepower and found themselves in deep trouble when they got into an offensive drought in the crucial stretch of the game.
When the Templars struggled to buy a basket, Stephen Layson of Tiong San stepped in and buried clutch three-point shots that ballooned their lead to double digits.
Frederick Pantin did all that he could to keep St. Joseph within striking distance but failed to get more offensive help from his teammates in the last quarter.
Meanwhile, in the other high school alumni semifinals matchup, team Hua Siong continued its dominance and crushed the De Paul College Blue Falcons, 89-70, to advance to the grand finals.
De Paul had an extraordinary start in the first set and even took the lead after former superstar and widely-renowned shooter Tata Borromeo knocked down some early treys.
Aside from Borromeo’s steady play, De Paul’s balanced scoring also helped them take command but once the second frame started, Hua Siong began to flip the switch and steal the lead away from the Blue Falcons.
Alvin Tolosa was a man on a mission and answered every De Paul trey that prevented any successful offensive runs from the Blue Falcons.
Tolosa was named the TUF Barbershop Player of the Game after finishing the semifinals with 21 big points built from several three-point shots.
Hua Siong extended their lead to as much as 25 points and successfully sustained their momentum until the final frame.
For the last scheduled game of the JB ABL Sunday madness, the University of Iloilo (UI) Wildcats outdueled the Iloilo Doctor’s College (IDC) Medics, 82-75, to advance to the college alumni grand finals.
