PHILIPPINES—The second basketball season for the Philadelphia Church of God Angeles City and Quezon City congregations ended on February 22 with their final game at the Angeles University Foundation gymnasium.

The season began in the autumn with four men’s teams and six women’s teams playing on weekends in alternate venues in Quezon City and 50 miles away in Angeles City.

Many of the players used the season to learn basketball fundamentals, while some who were more familiar with the game used the opportunity to sharpen their skills. The result was skill improvement all the way around, according to Shooting Stars coach Jake Gallardo.

“The greatest joy for me as coach is to see the players at the start of the season, each filled with a lot of potential, and at the end of the season producing so much growth—not only in basketball skills but also in personality, commitment, discipline, teamwork and confidence,” Gallardo said.

The activity also afforded players and fans the opportunity to spend more time together outside of Sabbath services and the office.

Commenting about the final, member Gilmer Onato said, “It is one of the best basketball games I have ever been involved in. We have an awesome court, awesome crowd and awesome players who were ready to give their best to win the finals,” he said. “I’ve looked to it as a family bonding and most especially character building, so I think that made me enjoy the game.”

“It was very exciting and thrilling to watch,” member Julie Concepcion said. “Every individual player tried to practice good sportsmanship, which was really the highlight of the game.”

Teens from both congregations also used the finals as an opportunity to raise funds for their upcoming activities by offering a courtside snacks corner.

In the men’s final, the Angeles City Bullets brought down last season’s champion, the Quezon City Vanguards, 41 to 35.

In the women’s final, team Sapphire defeated team Shooting Stars, the defending champions, 18 to 12. Both teams are from the Angeles City congregation.

Associate Pastor for Manila and Angeles Kirk Macdonald awarded the Vanguards with silver medals and the Bullets with gold medals and the championship trophy. Local Church Elder Broderick Tongco awarded team Shooting Stars the silver, and team Sapphire the gold and the trophy for the 2014-2015 season.