HE had been consistently hitting three-pointers since the elimination round, yet opponents continued to underestimate his defensive threat due to his seemingly unathletic physique.
In the final, the robust-looking councilor Irvin Paul Paasa proved he was the true owner of the pre-Christmas league title for the Barangay Bonbon Ball Club (BBC) in Cagayan de Oro City.
To everyone’s surprise, the BBC’s so-called ‘Nikola Jokic,’ seeing his team in jeopardy, unloaded four straight three-pointers that mattered the most.
These shots powered Paasa’s Bonbon Team 5 to a 64-59 conquest over Bonbon Team 2 in their one-off championship match, recently held at the seaside barangay's newly repaired basketball gym.
With the backcourt tandem of Concord Jhun Timkang and ‘Pretty Boy’ Enerio controlling the pace, Team 2 maintained the upper hand for most of the first three quarters. Paasa’s usual magic appeared stifled by the defensive specialist Ariel Sicad.
However, in the final quarter, a slightly fatigued Sicad loosened his defensive stance. That was all Paasa needed to produce yet another game-changing barrage.
“Grabe upat ka tira sa tres walay sipyat. Nabali lang kalit ang hangin,” said Team 2’s leading scorer Timkang. Paasa, along with teammates Naguita, Escobido, Fujic, Rpas, and Pactolerin, went on to pocket the top prize of the BBC's month-long tournament.
