Never Say Die and Pound for Pound Fitness dominated their way into the Finals of the Next5Hoops Metro Manila North Leg Recreational Division last March 25.
The two will meet in a one-off Finale to cap off what has been a thrilling conference of the tournament organized by One Unite Sports.
Never Say Die started strong and ended in the same way for an 87-71 victory over Bantams.
NSD opened with a 26-10 blast to dictate the pace of the game then closed with a 23-16 payoff period to put Bantams away.
Scorers were aplenty for NSD with six players finishing in double digits. JJ Trigueros stood out with a game-best 22 points.
Marlon Mariscotes made his presence felt all over the place, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.
NSD led by as much 21 points in the second period, but Bantams tried to make it more competitive by cutting the lead down to seven early the fourth, 64-57.
That was the closest Bantams, which was led by Rommel Bongat who had 20 points and five rebounds, could get as NSD fended any other attempts to cut the lead further.
Meanwhile, Pound for Pound zoomed away in the final two quarters to beat Leeleng IEMPLOY, 76-65.
After a close first half, Pound for Pound slowly pulled away from Leeleng IEMPLOY until a late fourth quarter push gave them a double-digit advantage.
Mark Dionisio gave Pound for Pound a 73-59 lead with four minutes to play with a triple off a time out. He led the team with 22 points.
Andrew Almario wasn’t far behind, knocking down 20 points for Pound for Pound that went with nine rebounds and six asssits.
Despite fielding in only seven players, Pound for Pound found strength in its 21-16 edge in assists and better three point shooting, 8-4.
Ryan Rosas led Leeleng IEMPLOY with 14 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort.
