By Lysander Tiu
Without dropping the beat during a heated match, defending champions College of Business Administration (CBA) Warriors overpowered the College of Engineering and Design (CED) Raptors, 66-52, in their Intramurals 2025 men’s basketball finals match last Feb. 28 at the Lamberto Macias Sports Complex.
Despite suffering numerous contested fouls during the clash, the Warriors’ front runners Karl Dave and team captain Denzel Cornelia led the team to victory by chipping in 14 and 15 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, trailing behind them were first-five player Jun Arnaiz with multiple aggressive layups and rebounds to add seven points of his own, and Kent Villacampa who sank an impressive three triple baskets in the first half of the match.
Even with CBA Arnaiz’s sprain from a tough landing during the 8:41 mark, causing him to sack out during the last quarter, the Raptors failed to equalize the 14-point deficit following John Maro Delbo and Dave Francisco’s combined three-for-four free throws, leading to an 11-point finish.
After a sluggish start during the opening period, a three-pointer from Villacampa was what the Warriors needed to break the initial deadlock, 20-17, with Cornelia, Arnaiz, and Josh Palongpalong combining eight hoops for a ten-point lead heading into the next quarter.
Defiant to stop their opponents from gaining momentum, CBA waved off their two early timeouts and four fouls during the second period with Derrick Ching, Dave, and Palongpalong demonstrating their explosive prowess by converting three consecutive jump shots.
An intense collision for the ball after CED Steven Sayre’s wasted effort to tie the ball game during the 7:32 mark gave CBA’s Cornelia control of the court to drill a three-pointer, 51-36, which ballooned their lead for a comfortable 13-point gap to cap off the third quarter.
With their defenses crumbling and offense slowing down during the last stretch, the Raptors’ last three baskets failed to meet their mark as they fell to Villacampa’s last jump shot with 35 seconds remaining to seal their second-in-a-row loss against the Warriors.
Coming into the match, the Warriors held an undefeated run during the bracket eliminations, beating down the Senior High School Pegasi, Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences Agilas, and the College of Mass Communication Red Dragons to rack up a 3-0 record.
“There was a little nervousness because [the College of] Engineering was a very tough team to beat. Through our work ethic [and] sacrifices, we have the confidence that we can claim the back-to-back [title] next time,” Cornelia said.
Leaving the stadium with their second consecutive trophy in-hand, CBA will have to defend their title again during next year’s Intramurals.
