When the Zark’s-Lyceum Jawbreakers went down by as much as 14 points to the Che’lu-San Sebastian Revellers in Game Three of the 2018 D-League Aspirants’ Cup Finals, many thought that they were dead in the water.
But just as they have done all conference long, the Jawbreakers kept on playing.
“We just kept on playing kahit malaki yung lamang,” recalled team skipper MJ Ayaay. “Wag magii-stop kasi kaya naman namin eh. Tiwala lang.
“Huwag kaming magpapakita ng body language na hindi namin kaya.”
With that mentality, they pressed harder than ever. The combination of their full-court press and the drums of the Lyceum Pep Squad, the Revellers unraveled.
Zark’s-Lyceum opened the final frame with an overwhelming 21-4 run for an 85-74 lead with 4:06 to go, paving the way for the improbable 92-82 victory to claim the coveted championship.
With the scintillating come-from-behind triumph, the Jawbreakers have secured their place in the PBA D-League’s history book,s as they became the lowest-seeded team to win it all.
Ayaay admitted that some of his teammates had been about to give up during that forgettable stretch. But as one of the veterans, he knew he had to fire them up, and it led to the desired result.
“Yung iba nawawalan ng kumpiyansa. Sabi ko naman sa kanila, ‘Yung nai-stroke nga nakakabangon eh, e tayo basketball lang naman, kaya natin habulin yan.’
“Just be positive lang. Same page lahat kaya nanalo kami,” said the 6-foot-2 swingman.
This has been Lyceum’s second title in three championship series inside six months. Now, what Ayaay hopes to win next is, of course, the NCAA crown, which they failed to capture in Season 93.
“Hopefully sa NC. Buo naman na kami eh. Sana makuha namin ‘to,” he said.
“Hindi naman namin ‘to makukuha kung hindi namin pagtatrabahuhan… We’ll just keep on working hard.”
