Ylanan Gym, UP Diliman - Excitement filled the UP Ylanan Gym last Saturday, August 24, when the battle between the UP Teams Victorious Secret and T-Team reached a heated tie game up until the last 2 seconds where UPVS forward Bullet Ribaya scored the winning goal and ended the game 6 to 5.
The closeness of the match was evident early in the first period as the teams constantly exchange possession and pressure both sides of the court. It was at the 6:18 mark when T-Team's Ralph Ramos scored the first goal after converting a long pass by captain Tata Cabillas. This was quickly answered when UPVS captain Joshua Paunil drove past his defenders and makes a pass to teammate Tristan Estigoy who then scored a one-timer goal.
The second period was an impressive exchange of offensive plays, Joshua Paunil scoring first after skillfully receiving a bounce pass from Amador and making a close-quarter goal. This was answered later though, by a long shot by Cabillas followed by another goal by Ralph Ramos, putting T-Team up by 1. The VS didn't leave those goals unanswered however, and scored 2 last-minute goals via Paunil and Ribaya, taking the lead before the period ended.
T-Team's offense elevated in the third period when their forwards, particularly R. Ramos and Navarro, started taking accurate long-range shots. A chain of retaliatory goals started when R. Ramos scored a goal at the 35:40 mark - it was quickly answered by Paunil's long shot a minute later, which was in turn answered by another goal by R. Ramos at 37:52; putting T-Team on a 2-1 scoring run, and making a tie game. The two teams defended each other's attacks heavily, not one making an open shot. As tension rose, the last minute being a breathtaking anticipation of 'who wins', Bullet Ribaya, within the last 5 seconds, finds an unguarded spot in front of T-Team's goal and shoots a pass from Saldio Amador, leaving only 2 seconds on the clock. T-Team is left with a chance to tie the game after the next face-off but is unable to make the time, losing a second time to the Victorious Secret as the game ends 6-5.
The Victorious Secret's goals were made in no small part by Saldio Amador's interceptions and passes - he made 5 wonderful assists to the team's 6 goals. Paunil's breaks through the enemy defense gave him 3 points and an assist and Ribaya's positioning earned him 2 goals and the breathtaking winning goal; Estigoy got a single goal early on as well. Keeper Fra Silva defended beautifully against Ramos' fly shots, earning a total of 14 saves for the match.
T-Team's offense relied heavily on Ralph Ramos' plays as Joco Navarro and Claude Vitaliano are contained by VS' interceptions. Ramos made 4 points with Tata Cabillas making 1 goal and 1 assist and Juno Ramos, an assist. Keeper Je Dimalaluan saved 7 times for her team.
Written by Jan Godfrey Gallardo
The closeness of the match was evident early in the first period as the teams constantly exchange possession and pressure both sides of the court. It was at the 6:18 mark when T-Team's Ralph Ramos scored the first goal after converting a long pass by captain Tata Cabillas. This was quickly answered when UPVS captain Joshua Paunil drove past his defenders and makes a pass to teammate Tristan Estigoy who then scored a one-timer goal.
The second period was an impressive exchange of offensive plays, Joshua Paunil scoring first after skillfully receiving a bounce pass from Amador and making a close-quarter goal. This was answered later though, by a long shot by Cabillas followed by another goal by Ralph Ramos, putting T-Team up by 1. The VS didn't leave those goals unanswered however, and scored 2 last-minute goals via Paunil and Ribaya, taking the lead before the period ended.
T-Team's offense elevated in the third period when their forwards, particularly R. Ramos and Navarro, started taking accurate long-range shots. A chain of retaliatory goals started when R. Ramos scored a goal at the 35:40 mark - it was quickly answered by Paunil's long shot a minute later, which was in turn answered by another goal by R. Ramos at 37:52; putting T-Team on a 2-1 scoring run, and making a tie game. The two teams defended each other's attacks heavily, not one making an open shot. As tension rose, the last minute being a breathtaking anticipation of 'who wins', Bullet Ribaya, within the last 5 seconds, finds an unguarded spot in front of T-Team's goal and shoots a pass from Saldio Amador, leaving only 2 seconds on the clock. T-Team is left with a chance to tie the game after the next face-off but is unable to make the time, losing a second time to the Victorious Secret as the game ends 6-5.
The Victorious Secret's goals were made in no small part by Saldio Amador's interceptions and passes - he made 5 wonderful assists to the team's 6 goals. Paunil's breaks through the enemy defense gave him 3 points and an assist and Ribaya's positioning earned him 2 goals and the breathtaking winning goal; Estigoy got a single goal early on as well. Keeper Fra Silva defended beautifully against Ramos' fly shots, earning a total of 14 saves for the match.
T-Team's offense relied heavily on Ralph Ramos' plays as Joco Navarro and Claude Vitaliano are contained by VS' interceptions. Ramos made 4 points with Tata Cabillas making 1 goal and 1 assist and Juno Ramos, an assist. Keeper Je Dimalaluan saved 7 times for her team.
Written by Jan Godfrey Gallardo