John Galinato delivered in the big moment, canning big buckets late to lift EGS-Aneda Builders to a thrilling 81-80 win over K&L Marketing in the final of the Chooks-to-Go Sinulog Cup, Monday at Cebu Coliseum.
The National University standout tallied 23 points on five triples in the final to be hailed the Manok ng Bayan of the tournament.
But it was in the clutch where he delivered.
Down 78-80 with three seconds left, Galinato was fouled from beyond the arc as he was attempting a go-ahead triple. The incoming Bulldog senior calmly drained the three free throws to put EGS-Aneda ahead.
K&L could not make their desperation attempt as EGS-Aneda sealed the hard-earned victory.
“It was an epic finale to a great tournament,” said Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas, whose company funded the tournament organized by the Sinulog Foundation. “It was an excellent showcase of what basketball in the south is.
“We hope that Coach Chico (Lanete) can find the player he needs to add to our pool through this tournament,” the godfather of Philippine 3×3 added.
Justine Dacalos also tallied 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals while Ted Saga grabbed nine rebounds to go with eight points.
Patrick Cabahug paced K&L with 19 points while Joshua Dela Cerna tallied a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Harold Cortez and Will McAloney also chipped in 14 markers apiece.
