THE TEAMS of Sociology and Philosophy will battle it out in the AB Sportsfest Basketball championship after outclassing their opponents in the semifinal round of the series held Tuesday.
Sociology barely escaped the relentless Legal Management (LegMa) who threatened to bring the ballgame to overtime, 46-44.
LegMa’s Diego Montesa knocked down a trey early in the first quarter, while Airam Rendon also pitched points after shooting a free throw and a lay-up before Sociology turned the tide.
Recovering from his dismal performance, Sociology’s Rowi Pascual unleashed two three-pointers that cut LegMa’s deficit to one by the end of the first quarter, 11-12.
Lanz Mendoza of Sociology also rained hoops in the second quarter as he dropped five unanswered points through his trey and charities.
Sociology then snatched the lead from LegMa, 28-21, as the latter managed to score only nine points in the second quarter.
Both teams had a dismal third quarter performance as they struggled to penetrate the paint but Sociology was able to continue their momentum, maintaining a four-point lead as they entered the final quarter, 32-28.
The matchup proved to be a thriller as LegMa hustled to shoot hoops while capitalizing on Sociology’s faltering plays in the last frame.
LegMa trailed by six points until team captain Vince Mecitas’ and Brad Galanza’s baskets closed the deficit to one, 38-37, with 3:37 minutes left in the regulation. Cheers and jeers filled the Felix Huertas Court as the momentous game neared its end.
Mendoza then fired two baskets from beyond the arc and a charity, which provided a slim two-point advantage for Sociology.
LegMa, who hoped for a last-minute miracle to extend the ballgame to overtime, missed the chance and bowed down to Sociology, 44-46.
Mendoza registered game-high 27 points while Pascual added 11 points to the tally.
Meanwhile, Philosophy proved they are worthy of a finals slot after trouncing Economics, 46-35. They also defeated last year’s champion Communication Arts in a semifinals rematch held Feb. 24, 48-44.
Both teams had difficulties converting baskets early in the first quarter until Economics’ Earl Pelugio finally sank a jumper.
AB Men’s Basketball team member Thomas Gubaton then contributed baskets for Economics with his back-to-back layups.
But Philosophy snatched the lead from Economics as Hencel Gumabay scored five of his game-high 20 points in the first quarter. The frame ended at 10-6, in favor of Philosophy.
Motivated by their first frame drawback, Jon Gabriel Manansala and Juan Miguel Florencio assisted Gubaton through boards and hoops. Economics overtook Philosophy in the second quarter, 20-25.
After having a five-point advantage at the start of the second half, Economics’ shooting in the third quarter crumbled. Meanwhile, Gumabay caught fire in his hands after hitting two buckets in the paint and three from the charity stripe.
Philosophy ended the third quarter with a three-point lead, 34-31.
Economics was not able to recover from hitting the rock bottom as they only managed to score four points in the fourth quarter, conceding the game to Philosophy, 46-35.
Sociology and Philosophy will go against each other with the championship at stake today, March 3, 8AM, at the P. Noval Court. F GAEA KATREENA C. CABICO
