The DOJ Justice Boosters, Judiciary Magis and the AFP Cavaliers bested their respective rivals in the final day of elimination round of UNTV Cup Offseason Executive Faceoff last Sunday, June 18 at the Pasig City Sports Center.

The DOJ Justice Boosters earned their first ever playoff appearance in the league after a 42-point win over BOC Transformers last June 18. (Photo by: Webster Moldez, Photoville International)

In the first game, the DOJ Justice Boosters handled the listless BOC Transformers a 90-48 drubbing which secured their first final four appearance since the inception of the league.

Assistant City Prosecutor Julius Gauraño and OIC City Prosecutor Nonilon Tagalicud led the Justice Boosters who finished with 14 points and five points respectively.

“I thank my players for working really hard during practice so that we can make it to the semifinals. The team is really happy,” said DOJ head coach John Agbayani Jr.

Court Administrator Midas Marquez goes for a runner against the Senate Sentinels. Magis win 83-68. (Photo by: Rey Vercide, Photoville International)

Perennial powerhouse Judiciary Magis grabbed a hard-earned 83-68 triumph over the determined Senate Sentinels in the second game.

Court Attorney VI Romulo Paras had a double-double performance after finishing with 10 points, 10 boards and an assist while Judicial Supervisor Jeovanni Villanueva made five triples to finish with 20 points. Administrator Midas Marquez also delivered 20 points and dropped five from beyond the arc.

AFP Cavaliers claimed top seed after defeating the PNP Responders, 94-86. (Photo by: Ruby Vercide, Photoville International)

In a seesaw battle that saw a series of lead changes, the AFP Cavaliers clinched the top seed coming into the playoffs after a nail-biting 94-86 win against rivals PNP Responders.

Col. Jonathan Abutin had a huge outing after finishing with 23 points, pulled 3 boards, 4 steals and a block. Col. William Gonzales added 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists to carry the Cavaliers into the semifinals.  

Playoff Picture

With the AFP Cavaliers claiming top seed which guaranteed them a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing with a 4-1 win-loss slate, a three-way logjam between PNP, DOJ, and Judiciary was observed, all with identical 3-2 records.

According to league rules, in case of ties after the eliminations, a goal differential system will be used to determine the final positioning of the teams. In this case, all three teams scored identical quotient scores as well.

A secondary option of declaring the final rankings was used as per league mechanics which was agreed upon by all participating teams. With the Responders scoring the highest number of points, they will claim the second seed giving them also a twice-to-beat advantage.

DOJ claims third seed followed by the Judiciary Magis.

Games on Sunday, June 25 at the Pasig City Sports Center:

Semifinal 1: 3 PM – *PNP Responders vs DOJ Justice Boosters

Semifinal 2: 5 PM – *AFP Cavaliers vs Judiciary Magis

* twice-to-beat

Written by: Jerlo Kevin Rialp