GH Republic trounces Kalsonics, clinches LSAL Basketball Championship

At the height of the ‘Happy Thursday’ festivities last week, two teams were slugging it out on the 9th floor of the Enrique Razon Sports Complex to determine which squad deserved to be called the best of the best in the annual La Salle Athletic League (LSAL) Basketball Tournament.

After a tough and physical match, GH Republic from the yellow bracket came out on top against the green bracket’s Kalsonics, 75-47, to be crowned as the new champions of the 76-team league hosted by the La Salle Sports Commission and presented by basketball specialty store and barbershop Titan.

Both teams headed into the game undefeated with similar 9-0 win-loss records. In the playoffs, GH Republic had to overcome Azkals in the round of eight, Baroney in the quarters, and last year’s finalist Opayi in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Kalsonics had to hurdle DLSU Sports in the first round, Channing Tateam in the quarters, and reigning champions Buckets in the semis in order to punch a ticket to the championship match.

Former DLSU Green Archer and tournament MVP Martin Reyes led the way for GH Republic with a monstrous double-double performance of 22 points and 16 rebounds to go along with two blocks and two assists. “It was because of my teammates. Nakatulong din sila, that’s why I played well [and got those numbers],” he said on his dominant performance on both ends of the court.

Jio Henares came close to finishing with a double-double as he racked up 13 points and 9 rebounds, while guard Bene Lopez added a balanced effort for the champions, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Enzo Manzano led the way for the Kalsonics in the losing effort, being the only member of the team to score in double digits. The former La Salle Greenhills Greenie contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals. Eduard Bascon provided support from the perimeter, scoring all nine of his points from behind the three-point line. Former Team B member James Calleja managed to grab nine rebounds, but was only limited to four points.

The first quarter saw GH score the game’s first nine points. Kalsonics would counter with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 9-7. However, the team composed of mostly LSGH alumni would score the last 12 points of the quarter, capped off by a buzzer-beating three-point shot by Roland Galang.

Behind Manzano, Kalsonics would rally in the second quarter to get to as close as six, 25-19. Unfortunately, in a repeat of the previous quarter’s result, GH Republic would go on a blistering 11-0 burst to end the half with a 17-point lead, 36-19. Martin Reyes already had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes of the match.

Using their size and crisp passing, coupled with their opponent’s cold shooting, GH would build their lead further in the second half. They went on several strong runs to push their lead to 20, 52-32, by the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter turned into garbage time with four minutes left in the game as both squads took turns trying to execute trick shots and dunks. Lopez’s layup would bring the score to its final tally, 75-47.

“We played together. We stayed within the game plan and we played good defense,” said Reyes on their victory. “We’ve been together siguro since high school in La Salle Greenhills. We just built this team for fun.”

Despite the blowout victory, Reyes played down doubts raised over their runner-up finishers. “They [the Kalsonics] beat strong teams to get to the finals and them being here in the finals is an achievement so nahirapan talaga [kami],” he said, in praise of his opponents.

The scores:

GH Republic 75 – Ma. Reyes 22, Henares, 13, Galang 12, Lopez 8, Escalante 4, Gangwani 3, Quebral 3, Liwag 3, Pantua 3, Tanhueco 2, Mc. Reyes 2

Kalsonics 47 – Manzano 20, Bascon 9, Teodoro 6, Sato 4, Calleja 4, Cruz 2, Lustre 2, Continuado 0, Garcia 0, Torres 0, Sarmiento 0

Quarterscores: 21-7, 36-19, 52-32, 75-47