Savemore, Choju in Legends caging finals

The Legends Sports Association Invitational Basketball League Season 2 finals stage is set as Savemore and Choju won their double-elimination semifinal games last Tuesday and Thursday at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gualo Rai.

Savemore won by the skin of their teeth, 89-87, in a thrilling semis showdown against a formidable Yuman team last Tuesday.

Yuman blew a 5-point lead, 77-72, with under 5 minutes left in the game as Savemore chipped away with fastbreak plays and a big 3-pointer by Getsen Jandoc to make it 75-77.

Savemore’s defense pressured Yuman to make inaccurate shots and kept them at a 2-point lead until Yuman’s Justine Enano finally sank in a jumper for a 79-75 game. However, Savemore kept the baskets coming and closed the gap again to 2 points, 77-79.

With just over three minutes left, Yuman fought tooth and nail to widen the gap, but they stalled at 81 points as Savemore gained traction at crunch time.

Missed opportunities by Yuman opened up a mounting comeback for Savemore, and a rejection of a Yuman basket attempt caused a turnover and allowed Savemore’s Jandoc to come in clutch and turn the game to their favor, 82-81.

The game stalled at 82-81 until there was just one minute left as both teams tried to put up more points over the other. A layup by Carl Aldan put up Yuman by 1 again, 83-82, with less than a minute into the game, but Jandoc was fouled and took the lead back, 84-83.

Yuman’s Sean Licayan then made a fastbreak layup and restored their lead but only by 1 point once more, 85-84.

In the end—as they scrambled for possession, Julius Domine and Jandoc came in clutch from the free throw line as they scored back-to-back-to-back—which was enough to guarantee their finals spot with just a 2-point margin, 87-85.

Domine led Savemore with a game-high 32 points, while Jandoc contributed 17, and Rodjay Macaraig put up 12. Aldan led Yuman with 26 points, Enano had 21 markers, and Keith Nuyles scored 14.

As for Choju, they notched their minimum two wins and gained the first finals spot after they defeated Savemore in also a close game, 72-70, last Thursday.

Choju first defeated Yuman last April 23 and needed to win just one more game to reach the finals. Savemore, on the other hand, won their first semis game against Premier Builders also last April 23, but fell to Choju, so they had to play one more game.

Catch the best-of-3 championship tomorrow night, Saturday, and if needed, next Tuesday—all at 6:30pm at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gualo Rai.

Savemore 89 – Domine 32, Jandoc 17, Macaraig 12, Malinay 10, Hipolito 6, Sapo 4, Vicente 2, Habos 2, Patigayan 2.

Yuman 87 – Aldan 26, Enano 21, Nuyles 14, Atencio 9, Licayan 8, Cristobal 7, Yumul 2.

Scoring by halves: 44-40, 87-85.