Pasig, Muntinlupa dispute Hoopla crown

Hometown bet Pasig knows there will be no tomorrow when it guns for the 2010 Coca-Cola Hoopla championship against Muntinlupa at 6 p.m. today at the Pasig Sports Center.

A huge hometown crowd is expected to jam the venue when the Pasiguenos shoot for the tournament’s maiden title and the P250,000 top prize.

Pasig will be tough to beat, but a loss would have dire consequences: the finals shifts to Muntinlupa where its horde of supporters will pack their homecourt for the winner-take-all match.

An awarding ceremony precedes and follows the championship game, with Caloocan getting awarded 3rd place and the P75,000 that go with it and Makati receiving P50,000 for its 4th place finish. The runnerup gets P125,000.

Mayor Bobby Eusebio and Congressman Roman Romulo have been invited to grace the championship and boost the morale of the Pasig squad.

Joining them is PBA governor and Hoopla backer JB Baylon of the Coca-Cola Tigers.

Pasig ousted Caloocan, 79-78, on a buzzer-beater, while Muntinlupa whipped Makati, 78-69, last Friday at the Notre Dame gym in Caloocan to forge the title showdown.

“We’re already here so there’s no other way but go for the win at all cost. We will utilize all available resources from our arsenal to realize our dream of being the first team to win the title," said Pasig coach Edward Medina.

“The players are all in high spirits and their morale is also up there."

Medina and his team are motivated by another reason.

“We want to avenge our only loss in this tournament," he said.

Muntinlupa, the South division champion, dealt Pasig its only setback, 84-81, in the first round of the Final 4 at the Kolisiyum ng Bayan in Makati.

Pasig, which swept the East division, finished the two-round inter-zonal with a 5-1 card. Muntinlupa finished second with a 4-2 record, followed by Caloocan 3-3 and Makati 0-6.

Medina’s main problem is Kevin Racal. The prolific 6-foot-3 ace gunner who averages double digit per game, poses the biggest threat to Pasig’s title quest.

“He is the main stumbling block. We have to neutralize him and limit his output," said Medina after Pasig eliminated Caloocan.

Racal scored 30 points when Muntinlupa beat Pasig.

The 18-year-old Bicolano from Oas, Albay, scored a total of 150 points in the Final 4.

Seventeen teams competed in the two-month, home-and-away format supervised by veteran coach Joe Lipa, who envisioned a tournament designed to promote community based basketball nationwide.