BANFF – Dropping dimes, making it rain and getting buckets are all phrases that can accurately describe Filipino sports culture.
During a night of culture and sport, local basketball courts were taken over for opening night of the Filipino-Canadian Association of Bow Valley (FCABV) Basketball League last Saturday (May 25) at Banff Community High School (BCHS).
While Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors took care of business in Toronto, over in Banff, Team Blitzkrieg’s John Santiago put on a “Klaw”-like performance and dropped a game-high 27 points against Team Nissan Cochrane, lifting his team to a 69-64 victory.
Banff’s Kyle Labiano scored eight points and Jack Diaz added seven.
“It’s super nice to get the W,” Santiago said. “It’s a good start, for sure, to come out strong.”
The game was evenly matched as Blitzkrieg clung to a two-point lead through three quarters.
In the fourth, Blitzkrieg turned to shooting star Santiago and the point guard put things to bed, going off for 21 points in the quarter, including three treys.
“I play defence first and I just let [my game] play from there,” Santiago said. “I put in all my heart and look around the court and I put my teammates first and then look for my shots. They believe in me and I believe in them and I just play my best every time.”
In the second game, Banff’s Team Voyager Inn won 87-84 against Team Canmore.
It took all of scoring prodigy John Bunao’s 39-point effort to lift Voyager Inn to its three-point victory.
The league, which promotes team unity and sports culture, showcased two games with teams from the Bow Valley and Cochrane.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the Philippines, and Ericson Dizon, spokesperson for FCABV, said opening night was one of the best turnouts yet.
“The intent is really brotherhood and a safe spot for sports culture,” said Dizon. “We’re also trying to help Filipino kids assimilate into Canadian life. We understand we have a community, that’s a given, but we want to have people enjoy what Canada’s all about in here and be part of this … We feel this is one good way of promoting it.”
For Santiago, who’s playing in his fourth season with the league, he relates playing in the league to shooting hoops with family.
“It’s a great group of guys here,” he said. “You just want to play with them every time, I just wish I could play with them forever.”
For the remainder of the season, all the league’s hoops action will be played at BCHS every Saturday night until the championships in July.
