ARGUABLY one of the country’s best players who almost made it to the PBA, Ramil Rey Tagupa started playing with Blue’s Team Alam Na of Anjun Gomez with three-straight losses in the just-concluded Green CdeO Eagles Club 1st President’s Inter-Color basketball tournament at Barangay Iponan covered court in Cagayan de Oro City.
“Ako ra man tingali ang dimalas sa team kay adtong wala ko sagunson man ilang daug,” the former Adamson University point guard was overheard as saying.
But never giving up, Tagupa found his bearing during the crossover round where he unleashed a barrage of treys and completed a buzzer-beating follow-up on Marvin Neri’s missed basket with 3 seconds left to help Blue’s Team Alam Na’s upset win over the second-seed Red of Arnel Baba and team-playing coach Ulysses Romulo plus the GCEC’s leading scorer Junjun Daanoy.
On last Friday’s championship game with the top-seeded Green of NMR-1 Governor Dondon Allorin, Tagupa scored 21 points, including a conversion of his own steal off youthful counterpart Marlon James Daitol to power Anjun’s Blue to a pulsating 88-78 win for the coveted crown.
“Medyo na-contain pag-switch nako’g depensa sa iya. Pero makaguba sa depensa maayo gayud modala sa team makabuhi’g dugo sa iyang mga kauban,” Green’s Balong Mabalot said of Tagupa, who enjoyed a lot of help from Blue’s youngest player Kirk Gelogo.
The 6-foot-2 Gelogo, formerly with Perpetual Help Junior Altas in Manila’s NCAA League, hauled off important rebounds to go along with his 9 points. Kuya Windel Relevo, Marvin Neri and Bhodz Lumacang added 16, 14 and 10 markers each to fortify Blue’s championship glory.
MJ Daitol paced Allorin’s Green with 26 points as Latosa and Mabalot contributed 16 and 10 markers apiece.
Tagupa, however, acknowledged that it could be a different fight had Green’s go-to-guy Bodie Tamparong was able to play.
“Suwerte sab nga naay aberya si Bodie, though ang importante nga teamwork lang gyod sa dula,” said Tagupa, once a very promising PBA prospect when he injured his knee (ACL) during a one-on-one play with then Ateneo guard and now an accomplished PBA star LA Tenorio.
“Pero dili na nato na estoryahan. Padayon lang gihapon ta’g dula samtang makadagan pa,” the always humble Tagupa, who’s now working with Philhealth, told VoxPop Cagayan de Oro.
Completing Blue’s victory are team-playing manager Anjun "Con-Air" Gomez, Loloy Gelogo, Tata Bajao, Naknak del Castillo, Elmer Lico, Idol Maagad, Idol Noynay and Sergeant Pepper Ferolino.
Scores:
Team "Alam Na:" 88 — Tagupa 21, Relevo 16, Neri M. 14, Lumacang 10, Gelogo K. 9, Gomez 4, Del Castillo 4, Bajao 4, Gelogo L. 2, Lico 2.
Green's Allorin: 78 — Daitol MJ 26, Latosa 16, Mabalot 10, Daitol T. 6, Mercado 5,Besin 5, Armojallas 4, Bequilla 2, Borongan 2, Allorin 2, Quieta 0.
