In a game where the stakes were high, the Telstra-Teletech Boomerangs showed it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
The Boomerangs charged back from a horrendous first-half performance, pulling off a 79-72 win over the number-one seed Supportsave Dragons to bag the EVO League crown of the 11th City Sports Club-Cebu (CSC-C) E-League for Basketball last Saturday at the CSC-C Gym.
Sam Jordan Hermosa came up big in the do-or-die match as he exploded for a game-high 32 points. He added three assists and was also active in the defensive end as he also hauled down 12 rebounds and tallied six steals.
Hermosa was later adjudged as the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) while Telstra head coach Kenneth Esloyo won the EVO League’s Coach of the Year award.
Jaygard Vios and Ryan Paul Abordonado helped the cause of the third-seed Boomerangs after they added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Equally effective was Jasper Diaz, who collected 18 rebounds, eight points, five blocked shots and three steals.
Germaine Jo Guarisma paced the Dragons with 23 points, Niño Belande piled up 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Dennis Morales pitched in 11 markers.
Telstra won Game 1, 84-83, before Supportsave sent the series into a winner-take-all affair when it won Game 2, 89-75.
The Dragons looked headed to duplicating their Game 2 victory when they raced to a 24-16 lead after the first quarter. They sustained their momentum in the second quarter and led by 10 points at the half, 39-29.
The Boomerangs then exploded in the third, producing 30 points while holding the Dragons to just 19, surging ahead going into the fourth, 59-58.
A 20-14 attack in the final period sealed Telstra’s come-from-behind win.
The Boomerangs, thus, advanced to the Elite Classic playoffs where they will play wildcard qualifier Sykes Pioneers in a knockout match. Winner in that match will go on to face the twice-to-beat Lexmark Stallions, the number-one seed in the Elite Classic playoffs.
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