DOHA: Two top seed teams of the Under-18 Season 1 of Pinoy Basketball Qatar (Pibaq) will vie for the championship crown after they separately routed their opponents during the nail-biting exciting games over the weekend at the Al Gharafa Training Gym.
QPalz Ooredo overcame a scary end game feat from the heroics of hot-shooting Adrian Paul Manalo who converted a one out of two basket from the free throw line with 4.3 seconds left to seal their hard earned victory 61-60.
In the second game, PCY2 Travelex Exchange DIANA also escaped a narrow win over the never-say-die squad of Supreme Technology Young CEG International, 51-47, after Rafael Vincent Caruz managed to squeezed his way in an under goal stab after grabbing the ball from a missed one out of two free throws of King Tabol with 4 seconds left in the game.
Both QPalz Ooredo and PCY2 squads will square off for the coveted one-game only championship match on Friday at the same venue, before the opening of the new PIBAQ regular season.
QPalz was comfortably leading most of the way but the CEG frontliners led by Joshua Mathew Genonangan mounted a strong comeback rally in the last five minutes to inch closer to the scoring distance.
A back-to-back baskets by Genonangan with 3:38 remaining while effectively applying pressure defense had drawn them closer with just three-point deficit, 55-52 even as the QPalz squad led by Manalo was dominating by 10-point edge at the start of the last quarter. It was Manalo who dictated the tempo in the last 20 seconds with his three visits at the free throw line from the series of fouls made by his defenders with both squads already under penalty situation.
Genonangan even took his squad to a two-point lead, 60-58, with his difficult drive towards the basket with 30 seconds left but such momentum vanished by their mistake of committing too many fouls against the unstoppable Manalo.
Filipino basketballs will expect a much more heart pounding championship game between PCY2 and QPalz that will serve as an exciting curtain raiser before the colourful opening of the PIBAQ 2015 season.
The league is supported by Travelex Money Exchange, Arabian Gulf Logistics Services, Power Horse Energy Drink, Boracay Filipino Restaurant, Diana Jewellery & Watches, Happy Journey Travel and August Sports Tailor. The Peninsula
