Fujairah Refinery rallied superbly to pull off a thrilling comeback victory 73-69 against Sarah Ladies Saloon team from Sharjah to retain the basketball title at the MKC Sports Championship at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club on Friday.
Trailing for most of the match, the defending champions got their act together in the decisive final quarter to outgun their rivals 24-12 to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Sharjah side appeared to dominate the proceedings edging out their rivals in all three quarters 19-12, 39-33 and 57-44 but once they conceded the advantage midway in the final quarter they collapsed, according to Sarah Ladies Saloon coach Jun Panle.
“It is normal in basketball. We were leading form start but unluckily in fourth quarter because of fouls of my players they collapsed. They don’t have power to overcome pressure. That’s why we lost,” he said.
Hometown favourites Fujairah Refinery spearheaded by Ruben Dela Rosa, who has played in both PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) and MBA (Metropolitan Basketball Association), outplayed their inexperienced rivals after securing the lead at 62-61.
Dela Rosa, 39, who represented Philippines in the South East Asian Games in 1993 and Slam Dunk winner, triggered their revival by scoring 11 points in the crucial phase of the final quarter.
“We followed the strategy of our coach playing aggressively and having good defence,” said Dela Rosa who was adjudged the Best Player of the final.
Carlos Sayon was their biggest contributor with 21 points followed by Raymond Dula (15) while Geoff Roque (11) and Chris de Jesus also made useful contributions.
“We just stayed focused and continued our tactics using the talent of all the players. We are a champion team in every emirate and were the defending champions,” said coach Nicanor Cabanero when asked how they managed to fight back.
Arnold Boker was top scorer for Sarah Ladies Saloon and the match with 29 points including two three-pointers while Michel Mboma (10), Emanuel Sidigu (10) and Simon Marshall made good contributions.
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