GBA: BOMBERS HOLD OFF MVP FOR SEASON 3 TITLE

By Ryan Cabanero

Game 3 of the GBA Finals was a barn burner from start to finish, but when the smoke cleared, it was the KFC Bombers who lifted the championship trophy Tuesday night at the UOG Calvo Field house. The Bombers handed Team MVP their second loss of the entire season with a 103-96 victory, who were without explosive scorer Joe Blas.

The Bombers got off to a hot start in the first, led by the sharpshooting of Ledget Glover who looked unstoppable from the three point line, hitting three straight within the first 4 minutes of the quarter. Teammate Tony Moses added to the offensive onslaught, draining a three of his own and driving to the basket for a gorgeous layup that resulted in a three point play.

Glover continued to showcase his three point marksmanship in the second quarter, hitting back to back threes to give the bombers their biggest lead of the night, 36-24. MVP answered back with a three of their own, cutting the lead to 9, only to be stopped by the stellar play of Tony Moses; who also won the MVP award.

Championship Game MVP Tony Moses

Moses, who finished with a game-high 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, believed that keeping a “cool head” was the key to their victory.

“We just had to keep our heads and play. Like I told my team earlier, I let them down in game 2. I wasn’t there physically, emotionally, and mentally I wasn’t there. I told them just stick with it and I promise you, we’re going to get through this hole”, said Moses.

The start of the third quarter saw a rejuvenated MVP squad firing from all cylinders, going on a 7-0 run, resulting in their first lead of the game at 60-59. MVP’s Daren Hechanova led the charge with an assortment of dribble moves to the basket and nifty passes to open teammates.

Missing from action was Joe Blas, who is an integral part of Team MVP’s seasonal success. But just when it seemed like MVP would keep their small lead, excellent play from KFC’s Glover and Moses halted any further push, resulting in a 5 point deficit for MVP to end the period.

The fourth quarter belonged to Moses, who dazzled in his unguardable offensive play and unrelenting defense, forcing Team MVP into a panic.

“Some games you just got to tap into a whole another level that you really don’t see; just hope and pray that everything goes the way it goes. Like I told the team before, they’re going to make their runs and they might get the lead but as long as we stick with it, keep our heads together, we’ll make our runs defensively and push the ball and we did good”, said Moses.

Moses, who finished with five threes, started the quarter off with a straight away shot from distance that saw nothing but net; extending their lead to 7. A late game push from MVP kept the Bombers on their toes, but a second three from Moses sealed the deal for KFC. Teammate Ledget Glover finished the game with 22 points of his own.

Team MVP’s Daren Hechanova finished with 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while teammates JP Cruz and Christian Kakonda both finished with 22 points a piece.

When asked about how it felt to not only win the championship but also the game’s MVP, Moses said with a smile that, “Adrenaline man I mean it’s MVP but it really is a collective group thing and the team stuck with it together. But it’s just so much adrenaline I could go another quarter.”