Cookies & Team banked on a furious fourth quarter run to pull the rug under Team Knights and clinch the APCRAA Basketball Tournament (ABT) Season 5 men’s division championship, 89-88, Saturday night, October 19, at the Asia Pacific College Gymnasium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lester de Luna, who fueled the run in the final canto, ended up with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Team captain Brix Estabillo exploded with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists; he missed Game 2 due to an injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory gives Cookies their second ABT championship and their first since winning it in 2016, when they are still known as the Bumblebees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guess dela Cuesta, who contributed 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, was named the Finals Most Valuable Player. He also became the 9th player in ABT history to become a member of the 500 points club after drilling the clincher basket at the 6:11 mark of the 3rd quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team Knights on the other hand had four players scoring double digits. Rookie of the Year Nonoy Sonbise finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. JC Hermo had his season high 16 points with 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Jhonel de Luna and season MVP Mark Rivera added 18 and 19 points respectively to the Knights’ output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Knights opened the game with a fiery start and secured the lead in the first quarter by as much as 8 points. Then Cookies made its own run by the second quarter to put the game within reach by halftime, 40-38.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It became a see-saw battle in the third quarter when Cookies responded to the Knights’ offensive. By the final period, Estabillo and de Luna led a scoring run to secure a three-point lead for Cookies with less than a minute remaining in the game. Knights had a chance to send the game to overtime but Sonbise missed a potential game tying three point basket, sealing the championship to the Cookies & Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n