They led the pack all tournament long so it was only fitting that Ingram Micro and Artesyn got the chance to dispute the Next5Hoops Corporate Division championship.
But one side was just more dominant as Artesyn overpowered Ingram Micro, 78-56, to take home the crown last Saturday at the Enderun Colleges.
Despite wrapping up the elimination round with an identical 6-1 record, Artesyn was just in a class of its own in the one-off finale of the tournament organized by One Unite Sports.
Pumped up from the get go, Artesyn wasted no time widening its lead to 21 by halftime thanks to a dismal six-point second quarter showing from Ingram Micro.
The lead got to as big as 24 points late in the game with Ingram Micro, which held the top spot for majority of the tournament, just failing to find an answer to Artesyn’s onslaught.
Artesyn controlled every statistical department except the rebounding area, which hardly mattered as it outscored Ingram Micro by 52-24 inside the paint.
Artesyn likewise pounced on Ingram Micro’s error-strewn performance by turning 26 turnovers in 24 points while Ingram Micro only got four off Artesyn’s 16 TOs.
Roberto Carlos was at the forefront of Artesyn’s attack with 17 points and eight rebounds, earning him the Most Valuable Player award of the tournament.
JR Aguilar paced Artesyn in scoring with 23 points and seven boards while Domingo Ete had a solid showing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Ingram Micro, meanwhile, leaned on Medel Dela Torre’s 15-point, 19-rebound explosion to keep the game from blowing out any further.
Dela Torre and company managed to trim the lead to seven with 1:11 left in the third quarter but a 13-to-nothing run from Artesyn bridging the final two-quarters took the life out of Ingram Micro.
Aries Parucha chipped in 12 points for Ingram Micro, including half of the team’s four triples.
