Hercor draws first blood against TJ Cong in ODM pre-Sinadya finals

By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Coach Jay Pisueña’s brand of basketball is still one of the most lethal in Region VI.

Relying on their tight defense, the Hercor College Jaguars took down the powerhouse TJ Cong Tawi squad, 90-88, in the first game of the ODM pre-Sinadya Basketball Cup finals.

The veteran and mighty TJ Cong squad obliterated the younger team in the first three quarters, with a hot and crafty Michael Balbarada operating down the block, overpowering John Maquiling and IC Gasacao.

Leading by as much as 20, the TJ squad was poised to runaway with the game as they did with all the other teams they faced.

But coach Pisueña had other plans.

Wasting little energy by shooting mostly from the perimeter in the third canto, Hercor looked like a different team in the fourth. Having fresher legs, Hercor employed a full-court defense to erase the 20-point lead TJ Cong established, inching them back into the game for a cardiac finish.

The veteran TJ team looked tired after chasing the young Jaguars all over the floor.

Jiego Montillano then iced the game for Hercor as he buried the game-winning pull-up jumper that electrified the Roxas Civic Center.

Montillano was awarded as the player of the game, chalking up 13 points, 9 dimes, 4 steals, and 2 rebounds.

The powerhouse TJ Cong team will try to regroup and bounce back today in game 2, at 4:30 PM.