Amwaj’s Rey Solomon (right) tries to block Leighton’s former PBA star Nino Gelig (centre) during the Elite Division semi-final of the 18th Men’s Championship Cup of Pinoy Basketball Qatar.

By Sports Reporter/Doha

The will to overcome the mind game by foiling the last ditch attempt of two successive jumpers was all that mattered for Amwaj Nasser Steelers, as they earned a ticket to the one-game knockout championship match next Friday in the Elite Division of the 18th Men’s Championship Cup of Pinoy Basketball Qatar.
It was the heroics of Amwaj’s power forward Mac Gomez, who blocked two desperate perimeter shots of HLG Leighton’s Kurt Fiel in the rainbow territory to seal a sweet 68-65 victory.
It could have been too much going into the extension period for the underdog Amwaj if Fiel was left open to equalise the score with his determined jumper but Gomez came out of nowhere and raised his two hands up high like a well-fortified wall to block the ball before it could fly up in the air and hit the circle of the rim.
All chips were already down for the newbie finalist Amwaj as their reliable center Rey Solomon was already in foul trouble and the defensive stance was their last card to avoid a comeback with a fresh start in the overtime by erstwhile league leader Leighton. The humiliation at the height of the elimination rounds would have come back to haunt Amwaj if that had happened.
Both teams were engaged in the trading of baskets that saw the momentum of the game shift continuously.
A shot by former PBA star Nino Gelig of Leighton kept them in contention with just a point deficit, 63-64, with 32 seconds to go. This was quickly answered by Amwaj’s Jerome Castillo with a difficult three-point floater which spelled the difference in the final crucial ticks of the game.
Amwaj will face another powerhouse team Dukhan Ballers in the championships on Friday at the Al Gharafa Training Gym.
Dukhan easily thwarted HERO Jireh, 95-63, in the other semi-final game over the weekend that led them to take the first slot in the finals and square off with Amwaj.
With little championship experience, Amwaj’s game plan in the final should be to stop Dukhan’s main man and all-around center Rodel Mallari.
Power Horse Energy Drink has presented the ongoing tournament with the support of Qatar Basketball Federation. The tournament is sponsored by Ooredoo and Diana Jewellery & Watches.