Reinhard Jumamoy came up with a triple double as he helped push the National University-Nazareth School to its third straight and fourth overall crown in the 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
Banging in 16 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals, Jumamoy’s big game saw the Bullpups swamp FilNation Select-USA, 75-64, in the Division 1 Finals at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
The Bullpups unravelled a late fourth-quarter surge to trounce the Fil-Americans, with teammate RJ Colonia also finishing with a double-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds.
“We did not even think that this would be our fourth title. I just told the boys to treat this game like Gilas vs. USA. That was the fire that I used for them to get going in this game,” said first-year head coach Kevin de Castro, who replaced mentor Jeff Napa.
With the score tied at 63-all in the final frame, Pervy Timbang got a wide-open layup on a fastbreak, followed by Colonia’s, handing the Bullpups a four-point cushion, 67-63, with 2:40 minutes remaining.
Jumamoy was named Most Outstanding Player afterwards. He was in the Division 1 Mythical Team with Colonia, Jason Mandaquit Jr., and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s Jared Bahay and Raffy Celis.
Meanwhile, RJ Liwanag shot 18 points for Team Tarlac as it rallied to an 86-84 win over Royal Trading Star Don Bosco-Dumaguete to claim the 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals Division 2 championship.
“This is a big thing for us, our province, and all provincial teams. We’ve shown we can compete,” said coach Julius Dela Vega, after Team Tarlac launched a big second half run to notch the province’s first-ever national under-19 title.