USC-NABC’s “Last Dance”: Bagtik ‘85/86, Barracudas ’99 crowned champions
CEBU, Philippines — The 1985/86 Bagtik and the 1999 Barracudas emerged as champions in their respective divisions in the University of San Carlos-North Alumni Basketball Club (USC-NABC) “Last Dance”:Cong. Bingo “Bagtik” Matugas Cup over the weekend at the USC-North Campus gym.
Batch 1985/86 banked on the one-two combo of Lou Regidor and Arturo Pepito Mata to trounce the 1993 Dragons, 72-58, and reign supreme in Division 1.
Regidor and Mata sparkled with 22 points each for Batch 1985/86, which shrugged off a cold start to turn back Batch 1993 in the end.
Bagtik trailed by five in early goings, 13-18, but launched a fiece 25-7 counter-attack before outgunning the Dragons again in the third frame, 16-8, to shift the momentum of the match decisively on their favor with an imposing 21-point bulge, 54-33, going into the fourth quarter.
Bagtik sustained its hot charge the rest of the way to preserve a 14-point romp.
On the other hand, Batch 1999 used a balanced attack to overwhelm the 2000 Millennium Bugs, 72-63, and grab the Division 2 crown.
Four Batch 1999 players cracked double figures led by Fritz Villamor with 19 points.
Season MVP Joseph Chu Bragat and Mark Loyola fired an identical 15 points while Jeremy Deiparine chipped in 14 markers for Batch 1999, which never looked back after surging ahead by twin digits at the break, 41-30.
On top by a baker’s dozen, 55-42, going into the final 10-minute zone of the contest, the Barracudas never let their guard down on the way to accomplish a rare three-peat, having been title-holders in the last two editions of the annual tournament before the pandemic broke out. — (FREEMAN)
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