THE District Warriors Philippines of Quezon City’s first district emerged victorious in the Mutant 2024 Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) Cup International Invitational League Under-23 Senior Basketball Boys Division crown held in Indonesia over the weekend.
The District Warriors, backed by Quezon City first district Representative Juan Carlos ‘Arjo’ Atayde, withstood a late rally by the ACBA Tigers Sydney (ATS) to hack out a 75-71 win in a tightly-fought championship that featured five players from the winning side scoring in double figures.
Hot-starting Warriors
Coached by Dale Lacorte and Vis Valencia, the District Warriors raced to a 74-65 lead with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers went on a 6-0 run to threaten at 74-71.
The Aussies had a chance to tie the score following a turnover by the District Warriors, but an inspired defense by the Filipinos forced their opponent to turn the ball over and gave the eventual champions the final possession.
A split free throw with two seconds left sealed the game for the Filipino cagers.
Atayde commended the team for winning the international tourney and said
“I salute this team for showing the world how Filipinos respond to pressure and adversity," said Atayde in commending the team for winning the title. "Hindi sila bumigay, hindi sila bumitaw, yan ang pusong Pinoy."
Atayde, a member of the Youth and Sports Development Committee in the House of Representatives, praised all players and coaches for working cohesively as a unit to finish the single-round robin, weeklong tournament on top with a 5-1 win-loss record.
Lastra leads way
The District Warriors were paced by Custodio Lastra Jr. with 13 points, followed by Christopher Ang (11), Christian Jake Agoncillo (10), Warren Calara (10), and Jermiah Guzman (10).
Other members of the team are Ryan Arceo, Danren Nepomuceno, Joeben Loria, Patrick Buena, and Andrei Diaz, along with team coordinator Carl Lorenz Eserjose.
Atayde backed the trip of the team, composed of players from the Quezon City 1st District and selected during a series of tryouts from Atayde’s D1 Basketball League.
The actor-congressman is a known sports aficionado who also supports fencing, football and volleyball, among other disciplines.
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