My Sports: Kowts

Kowts

It's me designing a play for the Yellow Wolves at our JCA Sports Festival. 

I wasn't this team's coach when the tournament started yesterday but with the Wolves down big early in the fourth quarter of their match against the Green Archers, I took it upon myself and volunteered my "services" to this embattled five.

Green took their biggest lead of the ball game at 48 - 34 with around six minutes left in the final canto.The Wolves made a huge run, with the play I was designing when the picture was taken supposed to give us back the lead for the first time.

Unfortunately, our point guard succumbed to a triple team, turning the ball over to the Archers, who converted back-to-back baskets that ultimately sealed the doom of the Yellow team.

It was fun trimming down a 14-point lead in less than six minutes. The boys were really fired up. The crowd got going. And well, I felt really good that I was able to help bring these Wolves from the jaws of a rout to a nailbiter.

The loss sent our team to a do-or-die match with the winner of the other game later in the afternoon for the right to face the Green Archers, who have swept their first two matches, in the finals.

Bullet Blue/Red Implosion

Right after lunch, Blue's Clues came from behind to shock the star-studded Red Rose quintet behind the stellar play of one of my Journalism students, Bullet Sarte.

Bullet was awesome (and that could be an understatement.) His team was trailing for the most part and he simply (though what he did wasn't simple at all) willed the Blue squad to victory, slashing through the porous defense of Red and just running from coast-to-coast everytime.

They won, 64 - 63, although Red Rose cagers Emjohn Dalisay (the varsity team captain) and Lester Combalicer (the most versatile and prolific player in the varsity) were obviously disappointed not only with the result but also with the way the game was officiated.

Well, the game's over. I figured out that the Filipino saying "ang pikon, laging talo" applies to this bunch of hoopsters. When Blue was making its run, Dax Paulino committed a couple of errors that earned the ire of both Dalisay and Combalicer. 

"Nagkakalat na tayo," shouted Combalicer. True enough, they were imploding.

Bullet and his band of valiant boys marched on to the semifinals with us. In less than two hours, they will be fighting for their lives - against my Yellow Wolves.

Laro na nga, nilalaro pa

The Wolves were jovial, exuding an aura of confidence that they will manhandle the tired and weary Blue's Clues squad. As a matter of fact, they were fooling around during the pre-game shootarounds. They were missing layups from pointblank range and weren't serious at all. 

In Pinoy parlance, "laro na nga, nilalaro pa."

Then I remembered what Miami Heat assistant coach David Fizdale did when big men participants to their mini-camp at the Araneta Coliseum last week missed easy layups: FIVE PUSH-UPS.

The group was shocked when I told them this "policy." But then, when I showed them that I am serious about this, they followed what I said and made sure that easy baskets were going in.

The buzzer sounded. It was game time. I called the team to go in the huddle and gave them some instructions.

A shaky start

There were two reminders: 1) This team is tired. 2) The heart and soul of Blue's Clues is Bullet.

We started with our strongest five but found it hard to break through Blue's defense. At the end of the first quarter, it was 13 - 12, in favor of Blue's Clues. 

I thought that it would be nice to let all 12 players who have suited up enter the court. I shuffled the lineup and gave all cagers at least two minutes on the court before halftime.

"Baka naman nilalaro mo lang, sir," said EJ "The Tank" Barrios.

The second quarter ended but we were only down by one. This was a good sign. Mark Palluto, Robert Ramos and Mark Peña - three of Blue's four best players - had three fouls already. It's time to attack.

We kicked off the second half with a sense of urgency. We will go for the kill. Our captain, Steven Nieva, was a daredevil slasher who could both draw a foul and finish. 

"Attack the basket," I told them. 

They did just what I said with Steven and Jammiele Tulop providing the penetration and EJ and six-foot center Kim Mariñas manning the slot. 

We took a six-point lead entering the fourth quarter and continued to slice through the thin but strong Blue wings. We took a step back as Steven committed his fourth foul.

Lockdown

Bullet has been a non-factor in this game. Before the third quarter started, I told the team that we would be employing mainly man-to-man defense for the second half. There will be instances when we would be using the switching 2 - 3 zone but it was mainly one-on-one, body-to-body.

I tasked Jason Loresto and Jul Martin to shut Bullet down, isolate him and prevent him from holding the ball. They were really effective for the most part. His teammates couldn't find him. Every pass was denied and he grew frustrated.

Both Jason and Jul played honest but leech-like defense and that was the catalyst why we were able to have Steven and Jammiele drive to the hoop with ease. That was also the reason why pint-sized Palluto tried to carry the team on his own and went one-on-four.

To cut this uber-long story short, we won the game. 52 - 40. We were the more experienced, the stronger team. Steven was our best player and Kim flexed his muscles and forced his way into the smaller Justin Lavares and Vince Rodriguez.

In hindsight, this was a big victory for us. Emjohn and Lester coached Blue with the hopes of getting back precious pride after their meltdown earlier against - ironically - Blue.

Tomorrow's gonna be big. Green has a twice-to-beat advantage and they will be favored to defend the crown they won last year (with me coaching in the first game of the finals).

The Green Archers know how it is to have their backs against the wall and rise to the occasion. I was with them when they first did that in 2009.

For now, we just have to focus on the goal: Get that title and prove every naysayer wrong.

And Steven, for one, is sure to give his all come game time Wednesday.

"Tignan natin kung sinong ngingiti bukas," he said as he packed his things and left the Seed Dome.

It's time to paint JCA yellow.