By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Domination at its finest.
Hard work really pays off as the disciplined and laser-focused team Elite Lab (Toto-Tia-Ten/XYZ) swept all the championship trophies in the 17-under and the 21-under categories of the recently concluded 2022 Chairman’s Cup basketball tournament.
Aside from the emphatic back-to-back grand finals win, the prestigious basketball teams comprising of hoopers from Saint Robert’s International Academy also maintained a perfect record from the elimination stages.
It was a blowout for the 17-U Elite Lab squad as they just asserted their mastery over the M&D ROS basketball team.
The backcourt duo of Burj Gabriel Lapu-os and Erlance Pedrita proved to be too much for M&D as the Elite Lab power duo controlled most of the tempo of the game and spearheaded a huge second-half rally after the opposition trimmed the lead to 14 points late in the second period.
Meanwhile, the 21-under squad of team Elite Lab had to work their way against the star-studded Conce Crita Villa team led by Agapito Clarito, Franc Tono, Erjohn Hermogino, and Ian Espinosa.
With the timely in-game adjustments and defensive schemes veteran mentor John Guanco deployed to his wards, the Elite Lab squad prevailed over Conce Crita, 81-73, in one of the most exciting clashes of the tournament.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair the whole game as Conce Crita just kept on striking back whenever Elite Lab tried to go on a scoring run.
Elite Lab finally got their momentum and rhythm at the start of the third quarter when they avalanched their way to a quick 8-0 burst.
However, Conce Crita would answer back and keep themselves within striking distance, thanks to Clarito’s timely three-point shooting.
Elite Lab then controlled the whole fourth quarter as their full-court defensive pressure hunted Conce Crita and forced several crucial turnovers to seal the deal.
Kent John Parreñas, John Lester Amagan, Irele Galas, and RJ Pantin led the Elite Lab attack and were also the main stabilizers of the team whenever Conce Crita countered with their offensive runs.
The 2022 Chaiman’s Cup is brought to you by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), Toyota Iloilo, Juanito T. Uy, Fanny L. Uy, in cooperation with the Iloilo City.
