By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Back-to-back.
From zero to hero, another Cinderella run was capped off by the City Proper Stalwarts during the recently concluded JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) Battle of the 7 Districts II on November 17, 2024, at the Western Institute of Technology (WIT) extension campus, Iloilo City.
The defending champions replicated their run from last year’s conference as they got out of the mud after a roller coaster start. They climbed their way back to the top with a series of nerve-wracking wins in the tournament ladder playoffs to set up another grand finals rematch against the Jaro Titans.
When the brightest lights shone, City Proper delivered when it mattered the most and gave their all in the knockout finals to frustrate Jaro for the second straight JB ABL season, 65-56.
Just like last season, the rivalry continued as the grandest match in the conference quickly turned into an expected nip-and-tuck affair.
The Titans struck first, after establishing an early eight-point lead courtesy of a laser-focused Kevin Barranco, but the defending champions countered back with consecutive baskets in the paint to keep themselves within striking distance.
From the second to the third canto, no teams were able to build a double-digit lead but the Titans rode on their slim five-point advantage which created some separation from the Stalwarts.
It was in the final four minutes of the third when City Proper surprised Jaro with their hustle to recover the loose balls and collected tons of offensive rebounds that set the tone heading into the final 10 minutes of the championship game.
With the score deadlocked at 44-all, both teams entered the court with their respective strategies, but an unfortunate cold stretch hunted the Titans and was capitalized by City Proper in the most important minutes of the game.
City Proper stepped on the gas pedal and outworked Jaro, piling up the points in the paint as Malan dominated the battle of the boards.
Mark Jimenez, City Proper’s power forward, also delivered one of his best performances in the tournament as a double-double machine.
The athletic frontcourt was also a key to their finals win as he backstopped Malan in the rebounding department alongside 16 points. He was hailed as the Player of the Game.
Meanwhile, after a consistent campaign from the playoffs to the finals, Malan was awarded as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and received a love gift from ODM Sportswear and Captured by Jhaey.
“Salamat sa mga nag suporta umpisa sa una asta subong sa finals. Salamat sa tanan nga teams, sa mga managers, players, kag sa amon JB ABL team. Another success. Rest assured that JB ABL will still be here para maging avenue sa mga kabataan nga wala nagaan chansa sa mga lugar nila. The future of Iloilo basketball is in good hands,” said JB ABL commissioner Jayphet Balbacal in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
