Lawrence Domingo has hardly built an identity as someone who shoots well from the field — the six-foot-five bruiser’s not even known as a decent shooter from the charity stripe.
But in the deciding Game Five of the ABL Finals on Wednesday, Domingo went all-out.
Domingo went 3-for-3 both from the floor and from the foul line, finishing with nine points to help San Miguel Alab Pilipinas down the Mono Vampire BC, 102-92, on its way to the championship.
“I made all free throws? I’m surprised!” said the amiable Filipino-American after hearing his numbers. “Coach had me making a hundred of free throws before I left the gym early on into the year.
“It’s the Finals, baby!”
With his excellent shooting night on a big stage such as the Finals’ Game Five, the 6-foot-5 forward couldn’t be grateful enough for his brothers-in-arms for the constant support they all have given him.
“I had all my teammates all know that I struggle with free throws and I kept on working on it, kept my cool. Tonight it helped. So I wanna thank my team. My team had confidence in me,” he said.
Wednesday night’s triumph couldn’t be sweeter for the 25-year-old sophomore, as Domingo confessed that this is the very first time he has tasted how it’s like winning a championship.
“I’m a little speechless.
“It’s my first, like, championship that I’ve been a part of. I’m just thankful — you know, having been with a great group of guys –a great coach like Jimmy (Alapag),” he reflected.
And he couldn’t help but be sentimental, as after all the hardships the young Filipino club team have gone through, a championship came through at the end.
“We struggled a little bit, but we all stayed together as a family. That’s the thing that I’m most proud of right now: we stayed together, we kept that common goal and we played through a whole bunch of adversity,” he reflected.
“I wouldn’t pick any other team. This is special.”
