INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?They were hardly given a second look.

But the Pharex B Complex Maroons unveiled a surprise package in Vic Manuel and went on to grab everyone?s fancy by clinching the first championship berth in the PBL PG Flex-Erase Placenta Cup.

?Everybody wants to win,? said Pharex coach Aboy Castro. ?It?s our first time in the Finals, but I don?t even think I need to motivate them. The players have sacrificed a lot.?

The Maroons advanced to the title round last Saturday, with Manuel and Marlon Adolfo combining for 48 points to eliminate the Cossack Blue Spirits, 96-83, in the semifinals.

Now they wait for their championship opponents as Excelroof forged a winner-take-all duel for the last title berth after the 25ers downed the second-seeded Cobra Ironmen, 89-81, in the other semifinal pairing.

?We?re not expecting to blow out any one in the Finals,? said Castro. ?Whether [it?s Excelroof or Cobra], we expect a tight series.?

The Maroons have also been drawing solid performances from the University of the Philippines players led by Woody Co, and Castro said it may augur well for them in the next UAAP season.

?Hopefully this experience will also make them comfortable in winning,? said Castro, who also calls the shots for the struggling UP squad in the premier varsity league.

?We have several veterans in the team now. I knew we had a legitimate chance to be No. 1, but what we really want is to be No. 1 a week from now (in the Finals).?

Manuel, a 6-foot-4 forward from the Philippine School of Business Administration, remains a frontrunner for this conference?s top player award after averaging 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in the last eight games.

Adolfo and Co are also averaging in double figures for the Maroons, who topped the eliminations with a 6-1 record.

?Every time we have an opportunity to close it out, we close it out, whether in a game or a series,? said Castro.

?If we continue to come out with the same defensive intensity and with a lot of energy and heart, we?ll find ourselves celebrating.?