Champions at Last: Sharks win first title in franchise history
After eight and a half seasons, the San Nicolas Sharks can finally call themselves champions as they took down Bacolod Inasal in Game 3, 110-90, in front of a raucous and jubilant crowd at the SN Forum earlier tonight.
It was another packed house that witnessed the Great 8 top-seed finally win the title and promotion to Division II, all while burying the stigma of the last four seasons. And with the way the series has panned out prior to the game, it was not going to come easy.
The start of the game had resemblance of Game #1, where the two sides did not allow either one to pull away from the other, leading to the two sides being separated by just one field goal, 26-24, in favor of the hosts.
Bacolod would eventually wrest the lead from San Nicolas midway thru the second period thanks to a Miguel Herrán triple and they would even lead by as much as five points, 44-39, with about four minutes remaining. The Sharks however, would counter with a 15-4 run, including eight unanswered points to re-take the driver's seat entering halftime, 54-48.
The third quarter would prove to be the difference that would put the odds in San Nicolas's favor, as the Sharks would embark on a season-defining 26-9 run that enabled them to increase the gap to 23 points, 80-57, by the time the two-minute warning blared for the period. Entering the final quarter, the Sharks have taken control of the game, 88-64.
The Sharks coaching staff would take the biggest gamble of their season, however, as they elected to field their second unit to begin the fourth quarter. This proved to be a near-fatal miscalculation as the visitors would go on a torrid run of their own to cut the deficit to just single digits, 92-84, with three and a half minutes remaining.
By that time though, a valiant but visibly-exhausted Bacolod team would have to contend with a rested starting unit from the San Nicolas side, and the Sharks would finally deliver the knockout blow by way of another 18-6 run that sealed the championship for San Nicolas.
The visitors were led by Áron Soós, who had 16 points in the night, followed by Ivan Sretenskiy's 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The newly-crowned champions were led by Dondon Doromal, who would deliver his finest performance of the season churning out 32 points, five rebounds and six assists. CM Fabella would finally have a breakthrough Finals performance of his own scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
In an unprecedented move, SanMa Samuel would start in lieu of Doug Ochavo at the four spot and would post a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double of his own in the title decider.
"This was an amazing series. Kudos to Bacolod Inasal for pushing us to the limit." said team manager Ceruver. "They'll be a force to be reckoned with come next season with their roster."
"We took a chance at the start of the fourth resting our starters for that long, but it was only because of what they did in the previous quarter that we could afford to take that risk." said the Sharks' gaffer. "I had full trust in the second unit that they can hold the fort for as long as they did and I trusted the starters to bring it home once they returned to the floor."
"Sobrang saya, di ko po maipaliwanag." said a teary-eyed Fabella as confetti showered the court moments after the final buzzer sounded. "Salamat sa lahat ng tumulong para mapanalo namin 'to".
The win also means that they will receive a cash prize as well as promotion to Division II, where the level of competition is expected to rise significantly for the Sharks moving forward.
Last edited by Ceruver at 10/30/2022 9:17:44 AM