For the second straight year, Fil-Am Nation Select-USA fought off a fierce challenge to secure their back-to-back championship at the 2025 Smart-NBTC National Finals presented by SM Supermalls.
The Fil-Americans battled through adversity to clinch a 64-59 victory over Phenom BlueFire-Pasay in the Division 1 title game, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Despite Rutgers-commit Angelino Mark fouling out early in the fourth, the Fil-Am showed remarkable poise and resilience, riding on clutch plays and team chemistry to seal the win.
Mark picked up his fifth and final foul early in the fourth quarter, but his teammates stepped up, extending their lead to as much as 10 points, 58-48, at the 6:22 mark.
Matthew Jucom’s three-pointer from the top of the key with 22.2 seconds left brought Phenom BlueFire within one, 59-60, and the Pasay-based team’s full-court pressure created a tense final possession.
However, Fil-Am Nation Select managed to advance the ball to UC-Irvine commit Andrew Miller, who drew what was ruled an unsportsmanlike foul from Lanze Ronquillo.
Miller, along with Hunter Marumoto and Eian Lowe, converted four of six free throws to secure back-to-back championships for Fil-Am Nation Select in the grassroots program, which is also supported by MNL Kingpin, Molten, Pocari Sweat, Burlington, Swish, and Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things.
“I just told them to stay focused, stay poised. We knew we were in for this kind of game,” said head coach Byron Scott, who also praised the physical play and high basketball IQ of Filipino players.
Mark, named the Division 1 Ato Badolato Most Outstanding Player, was the only USA player in double figures, finishing with 32 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Caelum Harris also made a significant impact, contributing 12 rebounds along with seven points.
A year ago, Fil-Am Nation Select became the first global team to win a championship in either Division 1 or 2.
Now, they join NU-Nazareth School as the only teams to successfully defend their titles.
For Phenom BlueFire, Kieffer Alas led the way with 20 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Mark, Harris, Alas, and teammate Bonn Daja, along with UST-Manila’s Koji Buenaflor, were named to the Division 1 Mythical Team.
In the Division II final, Nexel Aguilo and St. Jude College Dasmarinas (SJCDC) dethroned Top Flight Hoops-Canada with a convincing 93-88 victory to claim the title.
Aguilo, the Division 2 Most Outstanding Player, finished with 23 points, five steals, and four assists despite not attempting a single three-pointer and only having one free throw attempt. His teammate Stanley Gicoso added 14 points and contributed six steals.
Arvin Ruba also made an impact, posting a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double to help secure the victory for the newly crowned Division 2 champions.
This was enough to overcome a 30-point performance by Fil-Canadian Gammad, who connected on six three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds for Top Flight Hoops-Canada.
