By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
THE HEAD OF THE HIGH TABLE IS BACK.
Ilonggo hoops fans, are you ready for the second installment of the JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) Battle of the 7 Districts Conference?
After a year since creating a huge buzz in the local basketball scene of Iloilo City, the biggest hoops league in the City of Love is ready to take center stage once again and deliver a huge treat to the thousands of basketball-savvy Ilonggo enthusiasts.
According to founder and commissioner Jayphet Balbacal, the grand opening ceremony of the JB ABL Battle of the 7 Districts already reached 90%, including the time frame and the maximum number of games that the fans will see.
“As of now, we are ready sa opening sang aton nga 7 Districts. In the next two days, the league can already update the venue and if 28 or 29 ang ceremony,” said Mr. Balbacal in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
In terms of the Districts’ preparations, Balbacal stated that almost all have already finalized their lineups and are already undergoing intense training for the upcoming Season II.
Last year, the district of City Proper became the inaugural champion of the conference, taking down the Jaro Titans to complete a cinderella run.
After a bumpy start in the season, City Proper managed to dig deep, securing a pair of knockout wins to reach the grand finals stage and repel Jaro in one of the most exciting championship games of 2023.
However, the other districts started to undergo their training earlier last month, with the main aim of becoming the new champion of this season.
“Fresh faces ang ma kita naton sa Season II. This is a great development sa liga, knowing that we are living up sa aton aim nga maging stage para ma witness sang kadam-an ang mga talent sang aton kabataan nga nahuya pa mag gwa sa ila shell,” added Balbacal.
The other participating districts are Lapuz, Lapaz, Mandurriao, Arevalo, and Molo. Like last year, this season will follow the same game format, where the undefeated team in the regular season will go straight to the grand finals.
Let’s get it on!
