The Barangay Pagsabungan V-Drink Malunggay Juice Basketball Team came in as underdogs in the Mandaue City Christmas Basketball League (MCCBL) but that didn’t stop them from trying their best.
Their efforts eventually paid off when they emerged champions of the tournament that started last December, beating the more favored Barangay Guizo, 87-77, last Saturday at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.
The team formed and coached by ex-University of the Visayas (UV) cager John Cabahug managed to beat the more experienced Guizo behind the eventual Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ken Gato and Mythical Five member Archie Buscay.
The team, which was put up just last summer, finished its campaign in the league with seven wins and just one defeat.
Cabahug, who maintains a basketball program for less fortunate teenagers in Mandaue City for the past few years, said he managed to polish the chemistry of the team in less than a year by exposing the players to various basketball tournaments in Cebu.
“I selected the players through tryouts and trained them with all of my knowledge in basketball. It was very challenging but I persevered and trusted the boys. I let them play in several amateur tournaments against older opponents and I am very thankful that they learned a lot and improved tremendously,” said Cabahug, who is now running his own business.
Cabahug also gave credit to support given by Pagsabungan barangay captain Asterio Suson.
The team is scheduled to compete in the upcoming Mandaue City Summer Basketball League, the Amateur Basketball Association (ABA) and two other basketball tournaments in the coming months.
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