Co-MVPs Sotto, Nelle lead Team Punks in OT win in SLAM Rising Stars Classic

MANILA, Philippines – The 5th annual SLAM Rising Stars Classic turned out to be a classic, indeed, as Team Punks downed Team Hype in a 124-116 overtime thriller at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City on Sunday, March 18.

Led by graduating Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU) guard RJ Abarrientos, the annual high school All-Star game looked like a blowout early on, as Team Punks bust out to an early 14-4 lead.

After a short 7-2 Team Hype run, an 18-6 response ballooned the lead to 17, 34-17. At the end of the first, it was 39-27 in favor of FEU head coach Olsen Racela’s Punks.

Not much changed in the second period as the Punks still led 58-47, thanks to the command of San Beda University (SBU) Red Cubs’ floor general Evan Nelle.

However, momentum started to shift at the turn of the second half, as reigning UAAP Juniors MVP CJ Cansino took over with hard drives and open threes. UAAP Juniors Season 79 Finals MVP LJay Gonzales helped out with blistering drives of his own, ending with a tough and-one bucket that cut the Punks’ lead to 3, 68-65. 

Team Hype cut their deficit to one, 74-75, but Team Punks closed out the 3rd frame on a strong note with an 84-78 lead.

Chiang Kai Shek College’s John Galinato caught fire for Team Hype in the 4th quarter, however, as he drove to tie the game at 92 and get the go-ahead bucket for the 94-92 lead.

Both teams then traded leads down the stretch, ending in a 101-all deadlock after a Kai Sotto bank shot. With 24 seconds left, Galinato caught the ball in stride in the corner and sank a heavily contested corner triple for the 104-101 lead.

However, off the timeout, new National University (NU) recruit Dave Ildefonso hit a wild, contested triple of his own to again tie the game at 104-all.

Team Hype had a chance to win the game in regulation with 3 ticks left but Gonzales’ potential game-winner clanked off.

Sotto then took over in the extra period, grabbing key boards and swatting two shots as Team Punks recovered just in the nick of time after blowing an early 17-point lead.

Racela was all praises after the game for the young basketball stars.

“The future of Philippine basketball is very bright,” he said.

“Ang gagaling eh. Nagbigay lang ako ng kaunting mga patterns to follow para they’re all on the same page, but that was all them. Hinayaan ko lang silang maglaro,” he added.

(They’re really good. I just gave a few patterns to follow so they’re all on the same page, but that was all them. I just let them play.)

Sotto and Nelle ended up being the Rising Star Classic’s co-MVPs.

Talking about the co-MVPs’ performances, Racela said: “Siyempre, ‘pag meron kang point guard na kasing galing ni Evan tapos may 7’1″ na player [like Kai], it’s a good complement in the inside-outside game. They’re very smart kids. ‘Di ko na kailangang magturo eh.”

(Of course, if you have a point guard with the skill of Evan plus you have a 7’1″ player like Kai, it’s a good complement in the inside-outside game. They’re very smart kids. I didn’t even need to teach them.)

Sotto, who is also the UAAP Season 80 Finals MVP for the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eaglets, finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds with a team-high 3 blocks on 6/9 (67%) shooting.

Nelle, meanwhile, tallied a team-high 21 points with 4 boards and 3 assists on a 9/19 (47%) clip. Five other Punks scored in double figures, including Abarrientos (17) and Ildefonso (15).

For Team Hype, it was Galinato who recorded a game-high 27 points on a stellar 11/18 (61%) clip. Following him is Cansino who had 20 markers on an unblemished 8/8 from the field and 2/2 from downtown in the losing effort. 

The Scores:

Team Punks (124): Nelle 21, Abarrientos 17, Sotto 16, Ildefonso 15, Sabandal 15, Amsali 13, Cunanan 13, Bonifacio 5, Fermin 4, Escamis 3, Celis 2

Team Hype (116): Galinato 27, Cansino 20, Gozum 15, Gonzales 14, Fortea 13, Tolentino 10, Guadana 7, Credo 6, Cortez 4

Quarter Scores: 39-27, 58-47, 84-78, 104-104, 124-116 (OT)

– Rappler.com