Second-seeded team Velocity Strikers were crowned champion of the OFBC Friday Morning League 5+1 Season 3 at the Ice Land Bowling Center here.

Velocity bested No. 1 Taurus in the two-game series championship match to complete the three games it needed to win the biggest prize in the tournament, the third Friday morning event organized by Overseas Filipino Bowlers Club.

The stepladder stage in the 16th and final week of the competition began with a knockout match between shootout winners Cyclone Star and D’ RJ’s Cardinals. Rudy Jamon’s Cardinals won 882-841 to advance to the second phase of the stepladder against No. 3 finalist D’ Luf’s Strikers.

But the Cardinals had their progress stopped as they fell short 842-825 setting up a Luf’s-Velocity decisive match for the right to challenge Taurus for the championship crown.

Captained by Toto Lim, Velocity looked the more determined team in a lopsided 880-808 victory over Luf’s, as Carms Lim and Delia Javing shot scratch games of 168 and 165 to go with the 149 by Toto, 148 by Jerry Carredo and 134 by Vic Gonzales.

One match down, 2 to go for Velocity. No problem.

Riding momentum of their inspiring win over Luf’s, Velocity Strikers opened a 70-pin advantage after the first of a two-game series championship clash 887-817.

Carms bowled big to shoot a 202 scratch with Jojo Esperanzate on 164, Toto 148 and Gonzales 146. Taurus had the trio of Hadi Pacheco, Jhoon Caisip and Edwin Ronquillo carrying the load on 168, 163 and 160. But with Ric Nangel an the normally reliable Fedelyn Bustinera down on 126 and 117 there’s not much Taurus could do.

And despite Taurus winning the second game 918-889, as Fedelyn came alive with 167 in a tie with Pacheco and in support of Ronquillo 238, the Velocity lead proved too big to overcome.

Velocity, with Toto leading from the front in the second game at 178, totaled 1,776 pinfalls for two games to Taurus’s 1,735.

The consistent Carms contributed 167 while Gonzales tallied 143 and Esperanzate 140 in the second game for Velocity whose other team members were Vangie Lim, Rodolfo Valenzuela, Chester Okol and Mar Valencia.