When it comes to the local hoops level, the JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) is the real deal. After taking a three-month break from local basketball organizing, commissioner Jayphet Balbacal and the rest of the JB ABL committee returned with a bang after a successful opening ceremony of the Battle of the Seven Districts Conference. All the seven districts geared up and attended the opening tip off last September 17, 2023, held at the Western Institute of Technology (WIT) extension campus basketball gym. Jaro, Lapuz, La Paz, Molo, Mandurriao, Arevalo, and City Proper supporters flocked to the WIT basketball gym to support the young and uprising stars’ battle for hoops supremacy. After the team presentations, the tournament proper was formally opened after Daily Guardian general manager Lawrence Clark Fernandez headed the official declaration of the games followed by the draw lots to determine the playing schedule. The first game that treated the hundreds of Ilonggos who came to WIT was the fiery clash between the Jaro Titans and the City Proper Stalwarts. After a nip-and-tuck first half, Jaro was able to maintain their pace and put up a brilliant defensive performance to take down City Proper, 81-65. The Stalwarts even took a slim lead in the second quarter but after Jaro bullied their way inside the shaded lane, the Titans then snatched away their momentum and continued to play as a unit in the last two quarters. Kevin Barranco, a current star for the CPU Golden Lions, bagged the ODM Sportswear Best Player of the Game honors after leading team Jaro with 16 big points.

De la Peña, Leobert Julian A. (2023, September 19). JB ABL successfully kicks off Battle of the Seven Districts conference. Daily Guardian, p. 12.