JEDDAH, 1 February — Exciting ball games thrilled the crowd during the penultimate day of the elimination rounds, as Danube Fruto thumped Danube Star Carma, 70-58, while Danube Sadafco dazzled past Danube Green Giants, 53-43, in the 2nd Danube Inter-Color Basketball Tournament at the Lotus IV compound in Jeddah.
Danube Fruto dealt the fifth loss of Danube Star Carma which was virtually eliminated from the race to the semifinal, as they improved to a 3-2 card and strengthened their bid for a semifinal slot. Again, it was the hot shooting hands of Danube Fruto’s triggerman Bruce Banaag that carried coach Joy Permejo’s charges to its 3rd victory. He scored 23 points, aside from grabbing 7 rebounds, stealing 6 times and dishing out 5 assists. For the 3rd time, he was adjudged as the best player of the game.
His support came from the cool Michael Bendicio and the veteran Bobot Ibesa, who tallied 13 and 10 points apiece.
Danube Star Carma was paced by its scoring and rebounding leader, Vic Mabutol, who scored 26 points.
The veteran Willy Perez was the only other player for Carma to score double figures with 10 points. Though they lost, Danube Carma thrilled the crowd when its playing coach Willy Cartajena fielded in Fernando "Poli" Policarpio whose acrobatic shots almost brought the house down.
Danube Sadafco humbling of Danube Green Giants improve their record to 3-2 while Danube Green Giants dropped to 2-3. This time, it was Sadafco’s playmaker, Boy Lizard Cartajena, the younger brother of Willy Lacoste Cartajena, who led his team to its 3rd victory.
He scored his career best of 18 points, stole the ball 4 times and dished out 5 assists for a best player performance. His support came from Jhez "Alipugpog" Alfonso and Roderick "Yoyong" Sauquillo with 12 and 9 points apiece.
Again, it was the full-court press and trapping defense of coach Rey Torres’ wards that inflicted the harm to Coach Darius Valencia’s team.
Though out manned, the Green Giants held their ground for a very exciting ball game, but their efforts fell short and their chance for a semifinal berth dimmed. Only the veteran Andy Mirador scored double figures for the Green Giants with 15 points.
He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
His support came from Alrdin Abutin and Michael Beltran who managed to score 8 points apiece. The games held on Jan. 22 were more dramatic and intense as these served as a knockout game for each of the four teams vying for a semifinal berth.
The games were so intense that before these were started, tournament commissioner, Peng T. Domingo reminded the players and the coaches to play honest basketball and avoid any unsportsmanlike conduct in the court. The first game of the night fitted the savvy of Danube Mach3 against the speed of Danube Nouri Trading. Both teams needing a win to reach the semifinals, battled it out evenly in the first half that ended with the score tied at 34-all.
During the 2nd half, the Mach3 temporarily grabbed the lead thru the efforts of its formidable duo, Joel Valiente and Ramil Martin.
But with its rebounding monster John Rodman Garcia and its center Bbong Faeldonia at the bench due to foul troubles, the speedy Nouri Trading team thru its ace playmaker Marlon Calayo and its sweet-shooting star player Ruen Villegas, took the lead midway in the 2nd half.
With only Bobby Solomon tending the board for Mach3, Nouri Trading’s Lito Llave and Honorio "The Saint" Santiago dominated the boards and with their put backs, Nouri led by 12 points with only 5 minutes remaining in the ball game. This was the key to Nouri Trading’s victory as the guard’s match up showed an almost even numbers.
The tandem of Marlon Calayo and Ruen Villegas of Nouri Trading had a total of 39 points and 10 assists while Joel Valiente and Ramil Martin of Mach3 had 36 points and 15 assists.
When the big men of Mach3 returned to the ball game, the nearest they got was within 5 points.
Nouri Trading won by 10 points with a score of 74 to 64. Marlon Calayo was again adjudged as the best player for 22 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists efforts. He got plenty of support from Ruen Villegas, Lito Llave and Honorio "The Saint" Santiago with 17, 16 and 14 points apiece.
Mach3 was paced by the veteran Joel Valiente with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists while Ramil Martin contributed 17 points and 8 assists. Arvin David and Bbong Faeldonia also scored 10 points apiece. With the win, Nouri Trading was assured of the first slot in the semifinal round while Mach3 needs a win by Danube Green Giants over Lotus American Garden in the last game of the elimination round to qualify for the semifinals. In the final game of the night between Danube Sadafco and Danube Fruto, Sadafco also earned a semifinal ticket by virtue of its 71 to 64 conquest of Fruto.
Just like in the first game, the referees called it tough which resulted to 3 players each from both teams to foul out. It was again the vaunted defense of coach Rey Torres’ team that carried his team to the next round.
At the half, Sadafco led the Fruto by only 4 points. But at the start of the 2nd half, Sadafco tried to pull away and led by as much as 7 points.
However, the tandem of Michael Bendicio and Bobot Ibesa, the big men of Fruto, rallied their team to close with in 1 point. But their disqualification at the closing minutes of game, and the tight defense applied by Sadafco doused cold water to the spirited rally of Fruto.
Boy Cartajena of Sadafco silenced the gun of Fruto’s triggerman, Bruce Banaag. Though the big men of Sadafco, particularly its ace center Yoyong Sauquillo also fouled out, Sadafco just coasted along for their 4th victory and a ticket to the semifinal round.
Danube Sadafco was carried by Jhes Alipugpog Alfonso who scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and stole the ball 4 times. He was amply supported by Yoyong Sauquillo with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 block shots.
