Pepsi routs Samco to clinch title in 2013 Perfetto Basketball tourney

Morsi Akad played a monster game to score 33 points and Gino Cilot added 25 as Pepsi crushed Samco-Falcon 100-80 last Friday in Game 3 of the best-of-three series for the Inter-Commercial Division (Non-rated) championship in the 2013 Perfetto Basketball Tournament organized by Industrial Sports Association.
An overflow crowd of basketball enthusiasts from around the area turned out at the ICDO (Industrial City Dawa Office) court in Industrial City Phase I on the outskirts of Jeddah for the big game after a thrilling 105-103 victory the night before by Samco forced a decider in the series where Pepsi won the opener by 102-101.
The match was anything but a down-the-wire contest many were hoping to see, as the fired-up Pepsi squad gave a basketball clinic to dominate from start to finish and leave Samco a thoroughly beaten squad.
Pepsi was without a legitimate center, a void that Akad filled remarkably well while playing the forward-center position, delighting the crowd with a dazzling array of shots in his arsenal.
The Pepsi running game and defense bothered the enemy no end, and the hustling plays by the combination of cat-quick guards Destreza and Fuentes forced turnovers by Samco.
Pepsi jumped out to a 14-5 start, only allowed Samco to come within 6 points and enjoyed double-digit leads all game long the biggest at 21, 60-39, on a Fuentes layup in the third quarter.
Samco star guard Boyet Bautista, formerly of PBA team Purefoods, was never a factor. He finished with a mere 5 points and was scoreless in the fourth quarter, with only beanpole Joseph Ubalde and Reyes getting some semblance of a fight against Pepsi that had Christian Guimpatan scoring 14 points despite playing in pain after being injured during the game at the Liga Pinoy basketball tournament opening two weeks ago. Destreza and Fuentes combined for 10 points while Nemitz Dangao had 7 for Pepsi.
Akad was named the MVP and led the mythical five team as Best Center alongside Best Guards Bautista and Destreza and Best Forwards Cilot and Mago of Samco. Akad and the MVPs from the four other divisions each received a mountain bike they rode around the court in keeping with the ISA tradition. Claiming the Best Coach award was Alex Perez of Pepsi.
Earlier in the night, Flexpack won against UCIC 89-77 in Game 3 of the Inter-Company Group C best-of-three championship series.
Friday’s championship games brought down the curtains on the ISA’s season-opening event. Mohamed Bayoumi, ISA adviser and friend of the Filipino community, handed out the trophies and prizes during the awarding ceremony along with ISA Vice-president Mohammad Erandio.
Butler-Kia completed a sweep of the Inter-Company Reinforced championship series against Sleep High with a decisive 90-65 triumph in the first game Thursday. Butler’s Michael Greason was the MVP.
Napico and Al Tayar Starplast also clinched titles in straight games against Woodroc in Inter-Company A and against Technoglass in Inter-Company B.
Al Tayar scored a clinching 85-70 win and Napico closed it out with an 86-66 rout in games the week before last.