The Comeback Kings

Allan Lintongan scores on the fastbreak

There’s a Brittney Spears song that comes to mind after another STI College Global City come from behind win -  Ooops I did it again! But if you ask them they will say that you can just call them the Comeback Kings. Why not? That can be a fitting moniker to the team that flirted with disaster the last two games but still managed to get their acts together and the word come back  has become a familiar phrase to them as STI College Global City did it again to the tune of an 84 – 75 win against STI College Las Piñas.

The vastly improved Jerome Faelden scores

Revenge is a dish best served cold.  STI College Las Pinas was a team out for revenge as the team that barely put up some fight the day before was like the energizer bunny if you will gauge their energy level as they started on a 6-2 rampage from the get go and maintained took leads of 10 to 11 points and weathered every Global City rally. In the ensuing quarters, STI College Global City gave their all but unfortunately STI College Las Pinas quelled every rally that their first game tormentors gave them. STI College Las Pinas preparation included having various defenders shadow Mike Sampurna who had a hard time getting started with the leech-like defense his defenders put on him.

Mike Watch - The Sampurna shackelling

On offense, the inside and outside tandem of Danico Merced and Jericho Nograles made much of the damage while Cris Jutie and Jerome Faelden provided the needed balance as the Las Pinas team raced to an 11 point lead after three quarters 65 – 54. Even with two defenders meeting him way up the top of the three point line, there was no stopping Merced’s three pointers which found its mark from way beyond the three point line. That sight broke the backs of the Global City squad.

Chris Jutie scores on the fastbreak

In those three quarters, the team from Las Pinas was clearly the aggressor in both defense and offense as they created their big lead from excellent defense and superb passing that led to baskets. The Global City team on the other hand was quite tight. Owing to the fact that most of the players are first timers in the National Finals, their over eagerness led to turnovers and missed opportunities. As they say you cannot just overhaul a lead with a single shot, you have to take it a play at a time. Just like what coaches say, it's starts from one stop, then another, then another.

Merced for three!!!

Just like their game yesterday, the Global City opponent thought that their 11 point lead going to the fourth quarter was enough cushion to give them their first win in the National Finals, but much to their dismay the Taguig based Global City squad proved them wrong.  Out of the shadows of Mike Sampurna is Allan Lintongan  who has emerged as their new go to guy and was the one responsible for keeping their team within striking distance during the game.

When the fourth quarter started, STI College Global City flipped the switch and just like that they went on another one of their paralyzing runs, this time it was a 13 – 0 run in the first four minutes to give the Global City squad the upperhand 67 – 65. In that run, the veteran duo of Mike Sampurna and John Atlobulan did it again as they scored seven and six points respectively to bring back the Global City team back to the driver’s seat.

 Mike on the drive

To add more woes to the Las Piñas dribblers, there is actually an overdrive switch to the Global City squad’s rampage coz after switching on the “beast mode” button, Allan Lintongan took over. With STI College Las Pinas trying to mount their own comeback and trailing by only four points with four minutes left, Lintongan scored  on a jump shot, then followed it up with a lay-up off a turnover, then hit a back breaking three pointer with two minutes left. Well if you think he was done, Lintongan added four more points from two Las Pinas flubbed shots to end the game with an 11 – 4 blast courtesy of Lintongan.

Lintongan soars high for the two points

The win assured the former kings of a seat in the final four but more importantly that win signalled the changing of the guard. Now we know that the Global City team is in good hands as the veterans  Sampurna and Atlobulan sparked their come back and the rookie Lintongan finished them off. Now let us see if the other Global City squad members will come out huffing and puffing in their last elimination game to contribute to their cause and say that they have learned their lessons and are ready to take the Global City team to greater heights and lets see if they can do it again.

To view the complete stats of the game please click the link below.

http://www.fibalivestats.com/u/STINBT/866645/pbp.html