Saudi Cement Company (SCC) basketball team led by veteran captain Arvin Diamante and mentored by playing coach Benjamin Quijano and his assistant Joey Gabison brought down favored STC Phone Pals 63-61 in a breathtaking victory in its opening 40 & Above game on the first week of the 15th AHSA 2012 Basketball Tournament organized by the Al Hasa Sports Association under the auspices of the All Filipino Community & Sports Commission (AFCSCOM) and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO-ERO) at the Al Hajer Sports Complex.
The SCC Clinker Masters led all the way, taking a huge 21-9 lead after the first quarter courtesy of awesome triples from ageless long tom artist Edgar Lara, and precise give & go plays by elite point guard Richard Suarez and hunk power forward Roque Sarmiento, who top-scored with 18 points.
The triangle defense imposed by ace guard Jimmy Alcano, forward Policarpio Largado and center Junard Repuesto prevented sporadic attempts by the opposing team to penetrate their stonewall blockade. Repuesto also dominated both boards.
SCC hoopsters sustained their superb firepower during the second quarter behind baseball fastbreak passes from guard Glicerio Hintapa who played second fiddle to Sarmiento by garnering 12 points, and accurate perimeter shots by forward Leo Manacap. Their cohesive defense, terrific ball movement and fluid offense seemed too much for the other team. Classic center-forward Ramon Valerio effectively played low post with nice pivots, enabling guard Mike Lapaceros to get away so many times with easy pick-and-roll lay-ups, finishing the quarter with a 29-18 score.
In the third quarter, the Clinker Masters switched from zone to man-to-man defense but were really affected by the very humid climate.
The Clinker Masters played safe in the last quarter by fielding their ever dependable first five – Valerio, Sarmiento, Manacap, Alcano and Lapaceros, and competed without a legitimate center inside in order to control the ball better and infuse more mobility.
Seeing the rally threat of the opposing team, playing coach Quijano, upon the advice from his assistant Joey Gabison and Technical Consultant Eddie Macapobre, shifted their play pattern from guard around offense to backdoor offense and made a big gamble by applying a highly physical and aggressive trap defense, which almost made them lose steam in the end. However, a brilliant baseline inbound play pass in the last few seconds was excellently executed by Valerio and Sarmiento, who then gave a beautiful assist to the cutting Manacap for the finishing touches to the SCC victory.
