Domino’s Pizza defeated Elias Dental 70-58 to win the Filipino Canadian Basketball League of Yukon’s under 35 championships on Nov. 15, two games to one.
Domino’s Pizza won game one back on Oct. 31 by a score of 80-69, but Elias Dental rallied on Nov. 8 to force a third and final game with a 73-62 win in game two.
On the court, Domino’s built a healthy lead in the first half, leading by 20 or more points for significant stretches.
Both teams seemed content to let their opponents shoot from mid range and beyond.
It was, however, Domino’s that began knocking those shots down first, allowing the lead to grow. Elias Dental didn’t have any answers for the floor spacing from Domino’s and stuck with a zone defence for most of the game.
Elias Dental cut into the lead with runs of their own in the second half.
Using their strength advantage, Elias Dental worked the ball inside and was able to get layups or fouls on a number of possessions, even though the team was giving up quite a bit of length on the interior.
Leading the way in scoring for Domino’s Pizza was finals MVP Bryan Hermosa with an even 20 points.
Ralph Hermosa added 14 and season MVP Josh Rumbaoa had a dozen to round out the top scorers.
For Elias Dental, Jo Aying dropped in 18 and Bon Bon Posecion had 14 in the losing effort.
In addition to naming a season MVP and finals MVP, the league also announced the “Mythical 5” all-star team comprised of Bryan Hermosa, Rumbaoa, Aying, Aaron Diaz and Kevin Silver.
Basketball fans in the territory now shift their attention to the over 35 semifinals and the matchup between North 60 Petro and Wolfpack Basketball on Nov. 21 at the Canada Games Centre.
The under 15 division takes to the court on Nov. 22 with the Air North Jets facing off against MPM.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com