Novaliches brought down a veteran-laden Caloocan squad and scored a 69-66 upset win in the PSL President’s Cup over the weekend at the Filoil-EcoOIl Centre in San Juan.
The Warriors turned to their dynamic duo of Deo Timajo and Jason Strait as their nothing-to-lose mentality and relentless effort on both ends of the court proved to be enough in shocking the Supremos, one of the top teams in the ongoing tournament.
Timajo was virtually unstoppable as he pumped in 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Strait, the versatile lefty player, contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, but his capabilities of switching on multiple positions allowed Novaliches to pose problem against the veterans of Caloocan, who were a step slower in chasing him every time he attacks the basket.
Novaliches was at its best in the fourth period when it completely outplayed Caloocan, which squandered a 13-point lead established early in the fourth, 60-47.
But the Warriors tightened up their defense in the next seven minutes, holding the Supremos to just two field goals, while unloading 12 points in a four-minute stretch to turn the game into an exciting wind up.
The Warriors held the Supremos scoreless in the final 2:17 then capped the match with 10 unanswered points to nail their sixth win in 11 games.
“Everyone was challenged. Everyone was very excited facing these former PBA players. They were so happy to play against them, but at the same time, they were extra motivated to come up with a win,” said Novaliches coach Karlo Pacheco. “We really worked hard on our defense.”
Caloocan played without three key players in its game against Novaliches as Paul Sanga, Irven Palencia and Jeramer Cabanag were unable to play due to family commitments.
