Jared Bahay lived up to his hype as the best high school basketball player in the country by leading Central Visayas to Palarong Pambansa success in 2023.
In the last 40 seconds of the secondary boys basketball championships, Jared Bahay drained a game-winning jumper to dethrone the defending champions National Capital Region, 77-73, at the Marikina Sports Center Saturday.
With the score tied at 73-all, the University of the Philippines-commit guard hit a long-two shot to put the team ahead of the National University-backed NCR, 75-73.
JUST IN: Central Visayas defeats NCR in secondary boys basketball, 77-73, to earn the gold medal at #Palaro2023.
Watch Jared Bahay Game-Winning Basket in the Last 38 Seconds of the Game
JUST IN: Central Visayas dethrones NCR in secondary boys basketball, 77-73, to win the #Palaro2023 gold medal.
Watch the game-winning basket of Jared Bahay in the final 38 seconds of the game. pic.twitter.com/g23qiOhh7w
— Karl Cedrick Basco (@cedrickkbasco) August 5, 2023
He attempted a three-point shot in the last 16 seconds of the game but missed the rim. However, Jared Bahay recovered the loose ball and drew contact from the NCR team for two extra shots with 4.9 seconds remaining.
However, the 18-year-old Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu star mishandled his two charities, but Wilhelm Josh Go got a touch on the rebound and nailed a putback jumper that proved to be the final nail in their coffin.
Bahay scored 29 points in the game, earning him the title of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the national competition. Alden Central Visayas was led by Paul Cainglet, who scored 12 points.
“Before the game, I was aware of how the NCR worked. We were not adhering to the structure established by the coach, as outlined in the game plan. We call ourselves kalaban. “I-push lang kami ni coach kasi alam namin na kayang kaya namin,” Jared Bahay told reporters.
“It’s a surreal feeling to have won a gold medal at the Palarong Pambansa in Cebu.” “Sobrang sarap,” he continued.
Central Visayas’ Stunning Comeback Seals Basketball Gold Against NCR
NCR was on track to retain their title after establishing a 57-50 lead in the third session thanks to a pair of free throws from Juancho Palanca. They finished with a 62-53 lead due to Carl Alfanta, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the crucial half.
However, Region 6 gradually cut their disadvantage at the start of the payoff period, 61-64, with an 8-2 burst capped by a triple by Timothy Matias at the 7:36 mark.
Jared Bahay grabbed control of the situation in the following plays, hitting a three-pointer and a tear-drop shot to take the lead from NSNU, 68-67, midway through the quarter.
NCR might have taken a four-point lead if Alnhumaer Usop and Sean Solomon had made their four free throws in the closing two minutes, breaking the 73-all tie.
Elijah Yusi had 16 points to assist Alfanta, while Palanca also scored in double figures with 11 points.
Meanwhile, Central Luzon, represented by Jesus Is Lord (JIL) College Foundation, won the bronze medal after defeating Davao Region in overtime earlier in the day.
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