RIYADH, 2 May 2004 — Rockland needed just a face-saving win, if at all, after back-to-back semifinal defeats. Instead, they stretched their luck all the way to a place in the final of the first Mindanao Overseas Workers Friendship Basketball Tournament for the Arab News Cup.
Rockland had to win by at least 16 points to have any chance of advancing to a title showdown with waiting finalist WEMOWA-Extra, and they did more than that with a 98-78 blowout victory over Odyssey in the second game Friday.
WEMOWA-Extra put away stubborn WRJ Cargo 76-71 earlier Friday to complete a sweep of their three semifinal round games.
And a win next Friday against Rockland in the winner-take-all final would seal Extra’s eight-game title sweep in the groundbreaking event that aims to promote unity and camaraderie among the major Bangsamoro tribes in Mindanao.
Rockland drew a game-high 37 points from Sultan, 20 off the bench from Bani and 16 from Boogie Dibaratun in a steady display of firepower that totally caught Odyssey by surprise.
The Rockland win created a triple tie at 1-2 among WRJ Cargo, Odyssey and Rockland. The FIBA point system tiebreak was applied and Rockland went through with a 1.063 to WRJ’s 1.037 and Odyssey’s 0.912 in the tournament sponsored by Arab News and co-sponsored by Power Horse and Manila Plaza.
About the only time Rockland’s guns fell silent was during the second quarter when Odyssey got their own offense going to end the period ahead by two at 45-43.
A 12-0 tear to start the third quarter set the tone of the Rockland blowout, and not even the fouling out of veteran Dibaratun with only two minutes gone in the fourth period could stop the rampaging Maranao cagers.
Badawi tried to reenergize the fading Odyssey with back-to-back triples only to be greeted with another 12-0 run that gave Rockland a 92-69 spread, which grew to what it was at the final buzzer. With the game on the line, Abdulgafoor “Jordan” Ibno hit a three-pointer to give Extra a 73-66 lead and cushion to the win, time down to 1:59.
Although they never lost composure in the face of WRJ’s equally determined stand Extra banked on free throws by cat-quick Junjun Mohammad and defensive rebounds by Khaled Misuari and Indasan in the closing seconds to preserve the triumph. Omar Adam and Indasan each shot 12 points, Ibno and Mohammad both tallied 11 and Misuari added 10 in a balanced Extra offense. Rasheed Mangotara led WRJ with 23, while Dino Ampaso contributed 16 and Baulo 11.
