NEIL Tolentino reigned supreme in the Hanes 1-on-1 King of the Hardcourt Tournament, outlasting Mark Gil Belmonte, 6-3, in the championship game on Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Neil Tolentino wins 1-on-1 title
The Arellano forward imposed his will down low and built a 6-2 lead off drives with 1:28 left to play.
His University of the Philippines counterpart did his best to trim that lead, canning a freebie in the last 42 seconds, but could not hit the desperation three as time expired.
Tolentino, 24, took home the P20,000 cash prize and will carry this big confidence boost heading into the NCAA Season 98.
"Thankful ako kay God kasi pangarap ko makabalik sa college at nabigyan ako ulit ng chance mara makaakyat sa pro," said the transferee from University of the East.
"Bago lang yung team namin pero malaking tulong itong 1-on-1. A win is a win eh, so pag nanalo ka, mabuboost yung confidence mo lalo na malapit na yung NCAA."
Tolentino followed the footsteps of St. Benilde's Prince Carlos and Letran's King Caralipio to be hailed as the King of the Hardcourt.
"We couldn't ask for a better finale. Talagang ipinakita ng players yung galing nila dito sa 1-on-1 tournament," said tournament director Bennett Palad, who was joined by Hanes sales and marketing manager Jihanna Callo, sales and development specialist Aileen Benavides, and HOME Inc. president Diana Layug.
Belmonte replaced Collin Dimaculangan for the finale of the 14-player tournament as the participants played in five-minute games with a 14-second shot clock.
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