The cagers of the College of HRIM managed to come from behind and clutch a narrow victory over the College of Computer Studies Knights 97-96 to secure this year’s Palarong Wesleyan basketball title in a match dubbed as one of the most exciting and heart-stopping games ever played in Wesleyan at the University Gym last August 13.

The HRIM Jaguars, who went past the preliminary rounds by four successive wins by default, trailed by as much as 23 points during the first half, a gap filled by silence among CHRIM bleachers.

During the half-time break, Jaguars Coach Darwin Morfe held a brief heart to heart talk with his players.

“Go hard, play hard, play with your heart, one team!” Morfe told his players, urging them to focus on the game to reduce the lead.

The Jaguars rallied on the second half with Nicholas Claudio firing away consecutive three-pointers that helped cut CCS lead to five.

They finally took their first lead in the match during the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, which was soon bolstered to a five-point lead with just a minute and 47 seconds remaining in the game.

The CCS Knights managed to level the game to 96, only to commit a foul which sent John Lord Germino to the free-throw line with just 6.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Germino missed the first throw, but made the second one which became the winning shot of the game as the Knights failed their attempt to field a buzzer beater.
The team unanimously commented that they prayed and worked hard as a team, and according to them it was the secret to their victory.

Last year the combined colleges of CHRIM and CBAA (the College of Management and Accountancy or CMA) also won the title in the men’s basketball tournament of the Palaro.###