By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Team Dois Seafood/Its RELX Iloilo took care of Game 1 in the ongoing Iloilo City Basketball Club (ICBC) grand finals after taking down team QL Mortgage, 87-74, held at the Monterosa Subdivision basketball gym, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
After a series of come-from-behind playoff wins to reach the championship stage, team Dois showed they still got enough gas left in the tank and scored a wire-to-wire victory against the top-seeded QL squad.
Team Dois quickly took the lead right from the get-go as their improved cohesiveness and team communication helped them edge team QL.
Dois had full control of the game tempo in the first three sets but QL Mortgage struck back in the fourth to keep themselves within striking distance.
QL’s fiery offensive run helped them trim their deficit to just five points and looked to sustain their pace and re-take momentum.
However, during the last two sets, Dois’ ever-reliable scorer and facilitator Rush Rubin grabbed the spotlight and erupted once again when his team needed him the most.
Rubin shot the lights out in the grand finals game and produced a game-high 31 points, his most so far in the ICBC conference.
When Dois needed a big bucket to start another scoring spree in the final set, it was Rubin who spearheaded the run that officially fended QL Mortgage off in Game 1.
John Mark Alerta of QL Mortgage tried his all to help his team claw their way back but his 20-point performance was not enough and will be looking to equalize the series at 1-1 on June 29, 2023.
