In December of 2017, Team AGS 94 won the championship in the MPG tournament. Team members Wesley Gonzales, Paul Carbajal, Bajjie Del Rosario, Ben Ibuyan, and Boom Domingo were all instrumental in bringing home the coveted trophy.
Fast forward to January for the annual ABL tournament, and these players were all together once again in the same division, albeit with different teams: Paul Carbajal and Ben Ibuyan with Team 4BD 98, Wesley Gonzales and Bajjie Del Rosario with Team Yoro, and Boom Domingo along with recently retired PBA player Enrico “The Raging Bull” Villanueva, another player from Team AGS 94, with Team 4E 98. Joining Team 4BD 98 were Chicoy Alvarez and MJ Bayang, who also happened to be on the team that played Team AGS 94 in the semis last December. The Primitivo Martinez Division was a reunion of sorts for a lot of the players from the last MPG tournament, but with less of a festive spirit.
Team 4BD 98 finished the elimination round with a 5-2 record, with their only losses coming to Team Yoro and to Team Guidaben in the final two games of the eliminations.
Facing off against Team Yoro in the semis, Team 4BD knew this might be their hardest game of the season. In the first meeting between the two, Team Yoro, needing a win to keep their semis hopes alive, was able to get by Team 4BD with a narrow 3 point win. Team 4BD had already qualified for the semis before this game, so they knew the loss would have minimal effect on their standing. This time around, however, they knew there would be no room for error or else they’d be heading towards an early vacation.
The game was as exciting as advertised, with Team 4BD 98 racing off to a double digit lead in the first quarter, only to be erased in the blink of an eye. After a back and forth affair, MVP candidate Paul Carbajal fouled out midway through the 4thquarter, seemingly dashing the championship hopes of Team 4BD 98. Down by 4 with 3 minutes to go, their MVP watching helplessly from the bench, and their primary offensive weapon Ben Ibuyan throwing up brick after brick, Team 4BD 98 knew the only way they could win was to grind it out on defense. Three consecutive defensive stops and timely baskets by MJ Bayang and Reggie Varilla, and a putback off a missed shot by Chicoy Alvarez, put Team 4BD 98 up by 1 with 14 seconds remaining.
Team Yoro had one last chance to win the game, and everyone knew where the ball would be headed: Papi Wes. Tensions were high as players from the Team 4BD 98 bench locked arms and prayed to the Lord for one more stop. As the ball was inbounded to MikoBorra, Team 4BD did its best to try and deny Wesley Gonzales the ball. He was able to get it beyond the three point line as the seconds ticked away. With Cyrill Del Rosario guarding him one on one, Wesley made his move and drove to the basket. But as soon as he dribbled, Cyrill, channeling his inner (and outer) Black Panther, was able to tap the ball between Wesley’s legs and bird, chopping off precious seconds while forcing a jump ball.
With the possession arrow pointing to Team Yoro, they had one last chance to win the game with 2 seconds left on the clock. As the ball was inbounded to Bajjie Del Rosario near the baseline, two Team 4BD 98 players converged on him, and he was only able to put up a leaning jumpshot the bounced off the back rim. Cyrill Del Rosario tapped the ball away as time expired, and the entire Team 4BD 98 shouted for joy, sang his praises, and lifted their voices unto the Lord as only Gary V knew how. One game down, one to go.
In the finals, Team 4BD 98 would be facing former nemesis Team Guidaben, who were able to defeat Team 4E 98 despite a monstrous (or bullish) effort by Enrico Villanueva. Team Guidaben would be without the services of key big men Mike Guidaben and Stan Aldover, but Team 4BD 98 knew they should not take them lightly, as they still had a plethora of athletic guards, spearheaded by former UAAP standout Mikee Reyes.
Team 4BD 98 raced out to an early double digit lead, led by the hot shooting of Mythical 5 member and birthday boy Ben Ibuyan. A week before, he could barely hit the side of a barn, but he would not be denied on his 38th birthday, as he would seemingly make every single three point shot he took, finishing with a staggering 9 on the game.
With big men Paul Carbajal, Chicoy Alvarez, Cyrill Del Rosario, and Reggie Varilla controlling the boards, combined with the hot shooting of Ben Ibuyan and MJ Bayang, Team 4BD 98 was able to lead by as much as 25 in the 4th quarter. But, showing the grit and heart of a true champion, Team Guidaben would not go away easily. A barrage of three pointers ignited a 12-0 run to cut the lead down to a precarious 13 points with still 4 minutes left in the game.
After a quick timeout, MJ Bayangwas able to hit a timely three pointer that stopped the bleeding and extended the lead to 16. Team 4BD 98 stepped up their defense in the final 3 minutes, holding Team Guidaben scoreless the rest of the way and ending the game with an emphatic 15-0 run of their own to finally win the championship.
This championship was very special for everyone but was perhaps sweetest for JeypsSarmenta, as it was his first victory in the finals after falling short twice before. Congratulations to Jeyps and the entire Team 4BD 98, Primitive Martinez Division champions!