Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by John Tonin

INTO THE LANE – Miranda player Nicole Farkas, centre, gets into the heart of the Philkon defence during first quarter Filipino Canadian Basketball League of Yukon Women's Basketball Division action on Sunday at the Canada Games Centre.

FCBLY's women's division restarts after COVID hiatus

The Filipino Canadian Basketball League of Yukon (FCBLY) continued its 13th season on Sunday at the Canada Games Centre.

By John Tonin on January 12, 2021

The Filipino Canadian Basketball League of Yukon (FCBLY) continued its 13th season on Sunday at the Canada Games Centre.

The FCBLY had to postpone its 13th season in March 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. However, last October, they were able to restart the league.

Three championships have already been won since the season tipped-off again.

Domino's Pizza was the first team to pick up a championship trophy in November. They defeated Elias Dental in the third-and-deciding game of a best of three series.

In December, two titles were handed out.

The Air North Jets and MPM played an entertaining three-game series that went the distance in the U15 finals. The Jets were able to soar to victory, defeating MPM 61-50 in the decisive game.

Then, in 35 Above action, Whitehorse Kia Subaru swept the championship best-of-three series against North60 Top Spot.

With those three titles won and etched into Filipino Canadian Basketball League of Yukon lore, it was time for the Women's Basketball Division to get underway.

The opening game was played between Miranda and Philkon. Both teams showed up ready to play but it was Miranda who got the 66-64 win in stunning fashion.

From the opening tip, both teams brought strong effort – you couldn't tell they had such a long hiatus from competitive games.

Each team, Miranda and Philkon, showed strong effort on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in the opening stanza.

Miranda gained a small advantage in the first quarter, as they were able to penetrate into the heart of the Philkon defence. But, whenever it looked like Miranda would push and make their lead larger, Philkon came roaring back on a run of their own.

The back-and-forth play continued into the second frame. Philkon was able to get out into transition and get some easy buckets to push ahead early in the quarter. They were also able to hit some shots from deep.

Miranda, unfazed, continued to attack the basket relentlessly. They showed strong passing as well, hitting the cutters for buckets under the rim. When Miranda did miss, they grabbed offensive rebounds at a decent clip to reset the offence.

Throughout the second half, neither team could create separation from the other. At the final buzzer of regulation, the game was tied at 60.

It was not surprising that the overtime was close. With seven seconds remaining in OT, Philkon had the ball with the game tied at 64 looking for the final shot for the win.

Tishalyn Siosan of Miranda had other ideas, however. She stole the ball and hit a game-winning layup to give Miranda the 66-64 win.

The game-winning two brought Siosan's point total to 16. Nicole Farkas led Miranda with 22 points and Gladice Apostol chipped in with 10.

Arian Batalleones led Philkon and all scorers with 36 points. Kiela Valdez added 14.

The Women's Division will continue next Sunday at the CGC when Miranda takes on Earls Restaurant. The best-of-three championship series will begin on the 27th.

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