Jesrica Tenebro of Region VII’s ANS girls’ basketball team posts up during their gold medal game against NCR in the Palarong Pambansa. | Photo from Christian Dave Cuizon
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Abellana National School (ANS) girls’ basketball team is on a mission for redemption after missing the gold medal at the Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu City earlier this week.
In their championship battle on July 15, the ANS squad fell to the powerful Nazareth School-National University Lady Bullpups from the National Capital Region (NCR), 39-62, at the University of the Visayas (UV) gymnasium.
Head coach Darwin Dinoy is rallying his team to bounce back from this setback by focusing on defending their Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL) under-18 girls’ title at the BPBL National Finals in Manila from July 21 to 26.
They captured this title last year in the inaugural BPBL National Finals.
“The venue change caught us off guard during the gold medal game against NCR,” Dinoy explained. “We had no time to adjust to the UV gym, which has a smaller rim. We weren’t prepared for the challenge presented by NCR.”
Despite their loss in the gold medal round, ANS showcased their talent throughout the tournament, winning all their group stage matches and the quarterfinals and semifinals, which were held at the University of San Carlos-North Campus (USC-NC) gym.
“We fought hard and ended up with the silver for the second time at Palaro, and I’m proud of my team,” Dinoy said. “This is a new challenge, and we aim to play even better in the BPBL after missing out on gold at Palaro.”
With a wealth of experience from last year’s BPBL campaign, Dinoy expresses confidence in his squad. Key player Zaydhen Rosano, a National University (NU) commit, is set to make her final year with the team impactful.
The ANS roster for the BPBL title defense includes Jesrica Tenebro, Mary Bell Alce, Jessha Banquil, Jasmine Reyes, Alaiza Maureen Evangelio, Chloe Marie Ragas, Mary Grace Sumalinog, Princess Xean Cundangan, Winona May Tabada, Maria Nadine Labay, Althea Therese Degamo, and Glysie Gail Cañada. They will be supported by fellow coach Christophel Abellana on the sidelines.
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