By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The biggest basketball league in Roxas City just officially started.
The ODM Sports pre-Sinadya Basketball Cup held its’ opening day at Dinggoy Roxas Civic Center with all eight teams debuting to energize the jam-packed venue.
The eight teams that joined the league were TJ Cong Tawi, Pontevedra, Rovil Autohub, Martkina Panay, Hercor Jaguars, Basketball Maniacs, and the two invited teams, Balasan, and the CPU Golden Lions.
League founder and ODM Sportswear owner Jeremiah “Maia” Obera officially opened the tournament with his welcome remarks addressed to the teams and the people who graced the event.
The opening day featured a quadruple-header hoop Sunday, as Balasan drew first blood against Pontevedra, 67-59.
The match was neck-and-neck with both teams trading baskets until the fourth, but Inno Miclat delivered in the clutch, burying two ice-cold treys that helped Balasan seal the win.
The next showdown featured the 2019 Iloilo Mayor’s cup champs CPU Golden Lions go up and notch their first win against the Basketball Maniacs.
CPU ran the breaks to perfection, using their speed advantage that put them ahead of the Maniacs to clinch the win, 74-59.
The next game featured cemented names in the basketball community, as the former top 16 Highschool player of the NCAA, Dan Arches, led the TJ Cong Tawi squad to victory against Martkina Panay, 98-78.
The game went physical in the first half as both teams wanted to establish their post presence to gain control of the boards.
As the second half started, the TJ squad began to pull away after gaining their rhythm with their three-point shooting.
The last game of the opening day was between the Hercor Jaguars and Rovil Autohub where the Jaguars prevailed, 74-67.
The see-saw affair went on to the final canto, as both teams were persistent to perfectly execute their half-court offensive sets.
Mon Lustria then put the Jaguars on his back, sinking crucial after crucial shots that put them in the winning column together with CPU, TJ, and Balasan.
The next games will be on November 3, 2019, at the Dinggoy Civic Center where Maniacs will take on TJ, CPU battles Martkina, Balasan versus Rovil, and Hercor against Pontevedra.
