Early in the fourth leg of the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup, the Quezon City-Zark’s Jawbreakers were on the verge of picking up a win against the Valenzuela Classic, leading 15-9 midway through the contest.
The game itself was chippy, and it all came to a boiling point with under six minutes left.
Six-foot-four Zark’s bruiser Ronnie Matias went for a shot, but was held down by 6-foot-2 Jan Jamon. As Matias landed, he ended up elbowing Jamon, which resulted in a scuffle between him and Carlo De Chavez, who raced to the court to defend Jamon.
And this confrontation was a long time coming, according to Matias.
“Nakalaban na namin sila last leg, napakapisikal talaga nilang maglaro,” admitted Matias.
“Eh kami, nag-adjust kami kaya lumaban din kami ng pisikal.”
It ended up being the turning point of the contest, as it fired up the suddenly-undermanned Classic. Valenzuela went on a 12-3 rally capped by a Chris Dechavez deuce to seal the win with seconds to spare.
But that was not the end of the affair, as Matias flashed a dirty finger against the Classic while they were celebrating before being separated by the bouncers.
With the losses piling up, Matias shared that his emotion got the best of him during that moment.
“Number one goal namin, manalo kami. Biruin mo, isang beses pa lang kami nananalo?” lamented the three-time PBA champion, as Zark’s will enter the Grand Finals on March 31 as the 10th-ranked team.
“Hirap para sa akin. Mga anak ko nanonood lagi kaya masakit sa akin na makita nila na natatalo kami.”
Still, Matias and the Jawbreakers will be ready if ever they face the Classic once again at the SM Fairview Events Center.
“Kung ayaw nila masaktan, mag-chess sila. Yun ang sabi ni Jaworski diba? Yun lang.
“Ako, maglalaro lang ako. Ako gusto ko lang manalo. Kung uulitin nila yun, ibang usapan na yun. Laro lang talaga to at kelangan manalo,” the 35-year-old closed.
