NFPS (New Filipino Private School) Patriots chalked up their fourth straight win after escaping DPS (Delhi Private School) Sharjah 28-19 in Week 4 of the NSL Basketball U14 at Victoria International School of Sharjah yesterday.
NFPS Patriots missed their star player Brandon Chan and struggled with their offence in the first three quarters. But they made headway late in the fourth quarter after Zander Camacho, Maui Martos and Paul Ariola found their range.
They also rattled DPS Sharjah with their tight defence and conceded just two points in the final period to keep their record in the tournament spotless.
“Our game plan was to distribute the ball well and my players did that, but we just couldn’t convert with our attempts and our shooting percentage was poor in the first three quarters,” NFPS coach Aris Peralta told Sport360°. “We made some adjustments in the fourth quarter and thankfully our shots started falling in.”
Martos, who plays centre, led the offensive attack of NFPS and registered a near triple-double performance after scoring eight points, grabbing 10 rebounds and making seven steals.
Point guard Camaourcho added six markers while Hrion Mohametano and Ariola finished with five and four points respectively.
DPS Sharjah for their part played well and were up by one point, 12- 11, at the half but they came short in crunch time.
DPS coach T. Ali, however, claimed “costly errors made by the referees” for their loss.
Meanwhile, DPS Sharjah U16 team beat PAK Hawks 65-13. Pratik Abel Thomas led all players with 25 points followed by Joshua Jacob with 14.
Jaison Johny controlled the boards with 10 rebounds while Nashal TT was the top defensive player with six steals.
In the other U14 game, Emirates National School overwhelmed NIMS Rising Stars 23-9 to also register their fourth straight victory and join Patriots at top of the table.
Ajzal Mohd Hussain had an inspired game with an almost double- double record of 11 points and nine rebounds. Mathew Manoj contributed 10 markers while Roshan Thomas did not score a basket but grabbed 10 rebounds.
ENS coach Jose Mathai said he is looking forward to meeting NFPS next Saturday to decide who will top their age group in Sharjah.
Elsewhere, Jeff Bustos led NFPS Patriots U16 team to a 46-26 domination of NIMS Rising Stars.
Bustos scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made three assists. He was followed by Eric Pancito, who made three triples in the third quarter to finish with nine points.
Hosts VISS U14 team registered a win after PAK Hawks did not show up for the game.
