By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After 11 long years, the Iloilo Doctor’s College (IDC) Medics are finally back at the pedestal of the Iloilo Private Schools Athletic Association (ILOPRISAA) men’s tertiary basketball scene.
For almost over a decade of waiting and rebuilding, IDC finally capped off their 2025 ILOPRISAA tournament calendar with a sweet return to the throne, a moment they once got used to during their heydays several years ago.
Through all the roller coaster rides and the painful moments, IDC, you are once again kings of the Iloilo collegiate basketball scene!
Despite going down with a 0-1 championship series deficit against the University of San Agustin Golden Eagles, IDC never backed down and embraced the big challenge in the bright lights to score a reverse sweep after raking games 2 & 3 to formalize their title campaign.
In a jam-packed San Agustin basketball gym on February 12, 2025, IDC played their hearts out after taking down San Agustin in the do-or-die Game 3 rubber match, 81-72, and will move on to the next stage of the PRISAA competition.
There were plenty of heroes during their title-clinching victory. Still, all props go to the coaching staff, the bench squad, the management, and the hundreds of IDCian supporters who flocked to the opposition’s home court to provide the loud cheers that the Medics needed.
It was an intense winner-take-all Game 3 as both schools traded offensive runs with neither seizing complete momentum in the first three quarters of the ball game.
The Golden Eagles struck first after leaning on their pick-and-roll play, which caused damage in the paint, but a better defensive communication and nose for the ball helped the Medics regroup midway through the second.
Just like a mano-a-mano slugfest in a loud Cinco de Mayo main event, both deserving teams came prepared and always had counters to every play call, but the complexion of the championship match changed when the final 10 minutes took place.
In the 8th minute of the fourth, the Medics hosted a demoralizing 13-3 run that put them in a comfortable position to seal the deal.
Perhaps the unsung hero during that massive run was IDC’s Reynel James Canuto, a true definition of “Mr. Quality Minutes”.
Barely playing in the first two games in the grand finals, Canuto was inserted into the lineup of IDC when the final frame kicked off.
Canuto then paid off the trust of head coach Albert Nabo and assistant tactician Gerald Ganzon after making key plays. The two-way guard didn’t shy away from the moment after draining a clutch three-pointer while providing two sweet assists that electrified the IDC crowd.
He also converted two crucial free throws and played seven straight minutes in the fourth when IDC’s star guard Franc Steven Tono got bothered by an early leg injury.
San Agustin revived the hopes of their supporters when they broke their slump and scored baskets to get to within five points, but the home team ran out of gas and missed all of their three-point attempts in the final 55 seconds of the ball game.
Credit goes to Tono, who set the tone for the Medics after a strong start, picked up by the duo of Elmer Malan and JN Magarse who stayed solid throughout the four quarters.
Gianne Nahine, the team’s veteran, also provided the intangibles and sank huge threes, while Kimrey Servano also did what he is best at, and that’s to score the basket.
IDC Medics, you can now call yourselves kings of the Iloilo basketball scene!
