PINTADOS DE PASSI BASKETBALL: Guimaras hands DPWH first loss

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Guimaras Leopards managed to execute the right plays and employed effective defensive sets to match and deal DPWH their first tournament loss, 85-77, in the ongoing 1^st Mayor Stephen Palmares Pintados de Passi Open Invitational Basketball tournament.

Guimaras’ early man-to-man defense shocked and surprised DPWH, gaining them a few steals to surge and take the early cushion in the first period of the game.

However, the veteran DPWH answered back behind Jhepoy Balleza’s post play and their hot perimeter shooting in a back-and-forth affair.

As the game went more intense in the third frame, Guimaras head coach, Dr. Richard Gabayoyo, decided to switch things up from a man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone which paid off after forcing DPWH to commit multiple turnovers.

In the last frame, the Leopards looked to run away with the game and got huge scoring lifts from stars RL Cartel, Jefrey Espinosa, and Misael Poral.

Also, Edwin Peremne, Garry Magallanes, and Sherwin Diana energized the frontcourt with their relentlessness underneath the basket.