Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) is headed to the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Admirals survived a late-game surge to edge Quezon of Nueva Ecija, 74-72, in the North Luzon Regional Championship wild card game Tuesday afternoon at the University of Baguio gym, securing them a spot in the NBTC National Finals this March.
The La Trinidad, Benguet-based squad overcame a 37-28 halftime deficit, sparked by the perimeter shooting of Mark Deniel Dela Cruz and Joel Christ Ancheta. The duo’s hot hand from beyond the arc pulled the Admirals within one, 47-46, late in the third quarter.
After a back-and-forth third period ended with Quezon holding a slim 49-48 lead, the Admirals seized control in the fourth.
Dela Cruz ignited a 23-13 run that gave CCDC a comfortable 71-58 cushion with just 2:36 remaining.
However, Quezon mounted a furious comeback. A 12-2 run, capped by a King Mordido layup following a steal, cut the lead to 73-72 with less than 20 seconds left.
After CCDC’s Ahmed Aduan split his free throws to make it 74-72, Quezon had one final chance.
Mark Andrei Atayde, who finished with a game-high 26 points, missed a potential game-tying floater as time expired.
Dela Cruz lead CCDC with 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals, who as later named Player of the Game and eventually made it to Mythical Team of the tournament.
Ancheta added 14 points while Mathew Greg Rimando had 13 points as Aduan chipped in eight.
For Dela Cruz, the victory was the culmination of years of preparation.
“I’m so happy because all our hard work was worth it,” he said in Filipino. “This is a new opportunity and a new experience for us to play at MOA.”
Admirals coach Felix Manuel Jr. noted that the win was a milestone for the program, marking their first trip to the national stage after three attempts.
“I’m very happy because my wish to coach at MOA finally came true,” Manuel said, also in Filipino. “I’m also proud that we gave CCDC its first-ever National Finals appearance.” Roderick Osis