JEDDAH, 22 March — After a week’s lull from a highly successful opening ceremony, the 3rd Arrow Marketing-Saudi Companies Basketball Association cagefest got on a roll again at the Ittihad Club.
Sawary clobbered Panda Azizia in the inter-supermarket division, 78-69, while ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel-Jeddah turned back the challenge of Danube Fruto, 61-57, in the Inter-company bonafide division. Danube Fruto, however, came charging back on Friday with a 55-50 win over Electro Industries.
Al-Tazaj Fakieh, fresh from copping the OFBL Sunriser games served notice of its looming strength while debuting in big time basketball by toppling defending Inter-company Group B champions AMS-Baeshen, 71-62 while in a cardiac thriller inter-company Group A battle, Sawary Superstore edged out King Khalid National Guard Hospital, 69-68.
In other games, Al-Hekma School, first runners-up in the ALJ inter-division set off to an auspicious start mangling Pringles-BJIS, 82-36 and Prince Lu-TIS School drubbed House of Donuts EIS School, 62-43 in the inter-school division. Sawary Superstores getting the much-needed lift from the Bautista brothers, Mon and Jeonard, scoring 21 and 18 points respectively, gave coach Benjie Lopez his first win. Jhun Teruel and Renato Grena contributed 17 and 19 for the winners.
Panda Azizia found a workhorse in high-leaping Joseph Diaz who drilled in 36 points but received scant support from coach James’ wards as only the gangling six-foot-two center Ric de Barras hit in double figures with 10.
SBA-JADE Friendship Games guest team champion, ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel mentored by Vic Zaragoza relied on the strong frontline trio of Rene Consignado, AJ Marcelino and Nelson Ducha. The three had a combined output of 54 points, just a point shy of the total production of rival Danube Fruto of coach Joy Permejo.
Only Rowen Villegas managed to score 11 points for the best team selection assembled by Fruto coming out of their recently concluded Danube inter-color at Lotus Astrodome. The rest of the juicemakers scored minimally in that game but came out big in their winning effort against Electro Décor, the next day. Jess Alfonso led three other Danube cagers in double figures with 16 points as Villegas, Bruce Banaag and Arvin David came through with 12, 12 and 10 respectively. Coach Bobby Abella’s undermanned Electro Industries was led by Ric Belarmino nailing 23 points and Phillip Lazarte adding 16.
Chris Tacaban shone bright for Coach Tom Forte’s Al-Tazaj Fakieh as Pablo Viscayno and Eric Encila held their ground scoring 14 and 13 for a well-balanced attack against the AMS Baeshen led by red-hot Nolan Cachero and playing coach Trox Olsem who submitted 27 and 14. The teamakers visibly missed the services of their ace gunner and last year’s division MVP Sarmiento.
The most exciting match-up of the weekend involved Sawary Superstore under coach Rene Ramirez carving out a hairline win over KKNG Hospital whose playing coach Mike Cruz was pulled out of the playing court with a vicious twisted right knee six minutes to go in the pivotal fourth.
Their engagement was a cardiac battle up to the final buzzer. Sawary hang on to a precarious 69-68 lead 10 seconds remaining and Mon Bautista was ready to secure victory right away for Sawary but missed his free throws allowing KKNG to orchestrate the final offensive.
KKNG’s Huerto who led his team with 18 points, a brand new marquee player showing his ware here for the first time, lost the chance of playing the hero’s role. With around 5 seconds to go he worked his way up close but flubbed the basket, rebounded his own miss for what could have been a game-winning put-back but the ball popped out of the rim to the sound of the buzzer.
The Al-Hekma School charges of coach Abel Chavenia and his assistant Sean Regis still nursing the frustration of the ALJ episode vented their ire on Pringles-BJIS with a whooping 46-point blowout as the trio of Jess Zapanta, Ron Regis and Jericho Fenrandez pooled 19, 16 and 15 markers. Mazen Lutfi led the losers with 11.
Prince Lu-TIS School went to the fine tandem of Mohammed Sobh and Ziad Al-Gharieb who scored 24 and 19 points while getting good support from Naghi Khaled with 9 points as Coach Ahmad Bobga nailed the victory against House of Donuts EIS School. Shadi led House of Donuts with 23 points and Fareed added 10.
