HEAVILY-depleted, the KBP team (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) survived fatigue, playing three-straight games in one day en route to a championship finish in the 41st Cagayan de Oro Press Freedom Week basketball tournament concluded recently at Barangay 24 covered court, Cagayan de Oro City.
After handily defeating the GMA-7 and RMN-DxCC, the KBP dribblers of team managers Ronald Rufin and Michael Bustamante had courageously rallied from behind to overcome the bulky and heftier Magnum Radyo, 60-54 for the championship crown.
Before the finale’s tip-off jump balls, the KBP already lost two key players to protest, thus making Magnum the hands-down pick to win the title.
The wards of non-playing coach Joel ‘Joejacs’ Jacobo were well-rested during the semifinals as they luckily took a bye after winning their preliminary matches.
Visibly exhausted by the resistance showed by the Gerry Camugay-led DxCC in the semis, the KBP immediately felt its chilling effect trailing by a double-digit deficit, owing to the unstoppable Magnum guard-forward Neil Joseph ‘Corvita’ Nacalaban who torched KBP on the offensive end.
At this juncture, KBP coach Jaime ‘Aka Erik Spoelstra’ Frias instructed his charges to fight for rebounds at all costs and to give Corvita a ‘VIP treatment’ by double-teaming the Magnum scorer all the way.
The strategy worked wonders as Corvita apparently suffered a cramp on his leg.
But the problem was KBP’s own scoring machine Pete Gambe and reliable center Luigi Smart Rivera was also hurting as they limped off towards the bench due to cramps.
Desperate, coach Frias called on Rufin and Popoy Yburan to fill in the gap and told his playmaker Lynde ‘Stev Panaz’ Salgados to carry the KBP offense as the last resort.
Fortunately, the grizzled Salgados responded as he strung up 10 fourth-quarter points, including six-straight points in the final minute to save KBP from the jaws of defeat.
“Wala nay option, ni gamble na lang gyod ko sa beterano na gamay’ng tao. Crucial sab iyang steal nga nakahatag momentum after natabla ang score approaching the four-minute mark,” Frias told Gold Star Daily.
It was actually a concerted effort for the KBP side especially in their first two victories that also got quality minutes from Paul Adrian Yburan, Ariel Santos ‘Aka Lolo Insiong,’ Jayville Pandita, Martin John Lee Merlin, and Ian Philip Zea.
“Kuya Frias is not only a prolific chess player but also a genius basketball coach. Mora’g coach Erik Spoelstra sa Miami Heat iyang panirada maong na feeling Jimmy Butler sab ko during the final fourth quarter,” later said Salgados in half jest.
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