Ilonggo cager Billy Ray Robles is slowly making his dreams come true in the real-competitive arena.
The former star of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) Sara Warriors was one of the players who led Davao Occidental Tigers-Cocolife to victory in the 2019-2020 MPBL Lakan Cup crown at the Subic Bay Gymnasium in Subic, Zambales.
Robles, along with Negros Mark Yee, lifted his team against San Juan Knights-Go For Gold in an overtime, 89-88. Trailing 86-88 with under a minute left, Yee swung the lead for Davao Occidental with a top of the key triple with 13 seconds left before putting on defense on the other end to wrap up the championship in Game 4.
The Ilonggo cager was awarded as Best in Sportsmanship. “Sa tanan nga naga supporta sakon at sa Davao Occidental Tigers, maraming salamat po sa lahat. Looking forward po ako for defending the title next season. Grabe emotional kay man last year pirde kami sa ila by 1 point subng kami naman nag daog by 1 point,” shared Robles.
Moreover, Davao Occidental head coach Donald Dulay said it was a nerve-wracking clash for both teams since then with San Juan having a chance to extend the series to a do-or-die Game 5 but Davao Occidental connected a triple to send the game into overtime.
“Payback. It’s so much sweeter because we got it back from San Juan. We were so close last time and it was heartbreaking as an organization,” he added.
Robles also credited their victory to their team, teammates, coaches, and family.
“Sa tanan nga mga Ilonggo nga naga supporta sakon madamo gid nga salamat sa inyo tanan. Salamat sa mga prayers nyo indi ko ni malab-ot kong diin ako subng kong indi bangod sa inyo. Dinidedicate ko tong panalo namin unang una sa Panginoon kasi di namin mararating ito kong hindi dahil sa kanya tapos sa pamilya ko sa Sara Warriors family at sa girlfriend ko na si Micah Torres at sa yumao naming coach na si coach Ted Magno,” he shared.IMT
