DAMMAM, 27 June 2003 — Powerhouse teams Sigma Paints, National Pipe Company and ATS-Tibay continued to jockey for leadership in Division I as they downed their respective rivals in the ongoing 2003 Reinforced Conference of the prestigious Eastern Province Basketball League at the Al-Nahda Club here.

League A-bound Sigma kept its record clean be beating undefeated Zamil Industrial Investments Company 99-80 in this tournament jointly sponsored by Cali Drink, Caravan Cargo Agency and Phuket Restaurant.

Defying the towering presence of 6’7 shotblocker, Ahmad Samter, the Paintmakers banked on Efren Valencia and Allan De Castro as they used their speed and talent to put the defensive clamps on the Darwin Tuazon to turn a slim 43-42 halftime lead to an insurmountable 20-point cushion, 76-56, going into the final period.

Tuazon gave Sigma some headaches in the early going as the Zamil forward connected with three triples in the opening quarter for a 19-point first half explosion.

But Tuazon was shackled in the fourth and Sigma won.

NPC, meanwhile, started to find their rhythm as a true, multititled League A team as the hard-fighting Ilocandia Knights became one of its victims. Youthful Jordan Sinio ably filled injured Ernie Baggay’s shoes by orchestrating the Pipemakers’ offensive on the way to a 107-66 drubbing of the Knights.

Murhaf Abdul Mohsin finished with a game-high 35 points capped by four treys while Sinio added 21. Ilocandia showed a brief sign of resistance in the first half when spitfire Zaher Kurais led a fierce counter attack to trim NPC lead to 10, 45-35, at the turn.

In the battle for League B-bound teams, ATS-Tibay avenged its heartbreaking loss to Zamil last week when it trounced Tamimi Group of Companies, 90-85, in a highly-physical match.

Snor Manabilang, Khalid Marmay and Arnold Haloc came up with crucial baskets from the line in the final minutes of the game to repulse a last minute rally by Tamimi led by lefty Ricky Lucero and the Bicolano hulkster Glenn Abrantes.

Tamimi saw its winning chances diminish when leading scorer, Rolly Bisda, was called for an over-the-back foul off Tibay’s Al Gozum with less than four minutes left in the third period and Tamimi down, 56-59. While pleading his case with referee Gil Garcia, out of frustration, Bisda slammed the ball onto the floor earning him a technical foul, his fifth.

The boys of Willie Solano tried to take advantage of Bisda’s absence by building a 9-point lead but a two-minute drought hit them when slotman Dennis Bonilla fouled out allowing Bong Palad and Abrantes to muscle their way inside trimming Tibay’s lead, 65-60, going into the final quarter. Manabilang, Marmay and Haloc combined for 6-for-6 from the stripe to seal victory.

In Division II, Saad Falcons turned the tables on K. R. Bouhaymed Est. with an 87-81 thrilling win in overtime as the Falcons bounced back from the claws of another heartbreaking defeat. Down by two, with 20 seconds left, lady luck smiled at the Falcons as KRB botched their final possession with a turnover and John Canlas made a buzzer beater to end the regulation at 75-all.

In overtime, after KRB’s Erwin Salceda sank a triple at the start of extra period, Jonathan Daguia responded with a triple and Canlas added five more points to ignite a 10-3 run. Jimmy Santos scored the final three baskets for KRB as Al Quiambao and Melvin Mallari put on the finishing touches.