Firewind stops Okaz’s unbeaten run; Jeddah Dreamers qualify for semis

Firewind Team showed off its athletic talent by beating Okaz 79-63 in the OFBL 3rd Conference Friday Morning Rated C Division at Timeout Sports Academy Gymnasium on Television St., Ghulail District on the outskirts of Jeddah.
The Firewind victory ended the 6-game winning streak of Okaz and spoiled the latter's one game advantage, taking the semifinal between the sides to a sudden death today.
It was a game of runs, as Firewind jumped out to an early 11-0 lead behind the guns of Roland dela Cruz, Patrick Reyes and Usop.
Okaz was caught flat-footed as Firewind further increased its lead to 20 points, 28-8 to close the first period.
But Okaz started the second stanza with a 13-0 run, set off by the duo of Jay Liam and Mabarit to close the gap to 7 points 29-22.
Both teams then went head to head, basket for basket to end the halftime at 41-33 in favor of Firewind.
Roland dela Cruz, after draining his 15th point in the dying seconds of the 2nd quarter, retired with a foot injury and never returned. Down by 7 points at the break, Okaz led by Liam, dispatched a 15-7 run to tie the game at 48-48.
But Firewind was quick enough to douse the fire with a 10-2 blast to close the 3rd quarter at 58-50.Then came the last quarter which saw Patrick Reyes hit 3 consecutive shots from 2 jumpers and a 3-pointer to begin the period, which was countered by Okaz with 9-0 run to pull within 6 points in the middle of the quarter at 59-65.
Firewind has yet another weapon at its disposal in Estrella, who replaced the foul troubled ace point guard Oliver Reyes and reenergized his team. Firewind used a closing 14-4 run to silence Okaz en route to the victory.
In the other Friday Morning Division game, Jeddah Dreamers raced to a 34-20 lead to end the first quarter, and never looked back as the Dreamers qualified for the semifinals of the Non-Rated Division with a huge 102-89 victory over Toyota 2.
Toyota was overmatched all throughout, as the Dreamers used their speed, agility, smartness and teamwork to dominate the game.
The first quarter saw Samson finish with 12 points from fast breaks and back court passes to lead the Dreamers offense.
The high-leaping Nino Estinor took over the rest of the game as he attacked Toyota’s defense without fear to top-score for the Dreamers with 26 points.
The trio of Eborda, Alidio and Taguiam effectively controlled the boards and formidably powered their way to the basket.
Dreamers point guard DJ Oxales, who had 8 points and 7 assists for the match, conducted the execution of plays very well.
“We came out strong and played well defensively, from start to finish. We stuck together as a team, everyone had their share and I was satisfied,” Jeddah Dreamers coach Felix Gonzales said.
Jeddah Dreamers took the 3rd spot and is set to battle with No. 2 Nesma in today’s knockout semifinal.
Meantime, Magdalo won the Above 40 Division, the first championship decided in the five-division tournament.
Magdalo defeated Toyota 1 71-70 in Game 3 of the best-of-three championship series. After winning the series opener Magdalo was forced to default the scheduled second game due to lack of players.
The scores:
Firewind (79) Patrick Reyes 19, Roland dela Cruz 15, Alturas 11, Usop 11, Estrella 7, Eleuterio 7, Fajardo 5, Oliver Keiron Reyes 4
Okaz (63) Baluyot 19, Mabarit 13, Toledo 13, Liam 11, Lagria 3, Balagtas 2, De Leon 2
Jeddah Dreamers (102) Estinor 26, J. Taguiam 16, Alidio 16, Samson 14, Argie Eborda 12, DJ Oxales 8, Bacsal 2, R. Lado 2, Mendoza 2, L. del Rosario 2, Paragas 2
Toyota (89) Llamado 40, No. 23 Arana 14, Baluyot 12, Borcegue 12, No. 4 Arana 4, Mohammed 4, Tayam 2, Gadingan 1