DAMMAM: Dragged into a tight endgame, Fahd Alireza Engineering Consultants (FAEC) relied on their stiff defense against arch rival Al Rushaid Construction Co. Ltd. (ARCC) to score a thrilling 88-82 win on Friday to earn the top spot in the prestigious Eastern Province Basketball League here.

The game between the two perennial titles contenders lived up to the hype with a tightly fought game that went down the wire. Former PBA stalwart Norman Gonzales fired 26 points, but the Consultants relied on Julius Eleazar’s explosion in the fourth quarter with 10 of his 13 points and a solid defensive stand down the stretch to preserve the victory.

It was the first win of FAEC against ARCC since the last conference. The Erectors dropped their first loss against a win in a four-team Premier Division. Al Ittefaq Steel Product Company and the American-laden Dhahran Basketball Association squad completed the roster in highly anticipated two-round elimination.

Coach Ramil Zarandin’s addition of Eleazar and Benjie Labitoria paid off for FAEC. The combo guard combined with 28 points performance while post player Mathew Carney and Boyet Katigbak had 14 and eight points respectively.

Streak-shooter Elmer Fabula led ARCC with 24 points on a 5-of-8 three points shooting, while Alfie Grijaldo had 23 points but no other ARCC players scored in double figures.

In the other game, Saudi Diesel Company moved to a share of second spot in the Intercompany Division with an 81-77 victory against Dammam Shipyard. Robert Pangilinan scored a game-high 31 points while veteran big man Marvin Gonzales added 19 points in a come-from-behind win. The win propelled Saudi Diesel to a 3-1 win-loss slate in the eight-team contest.

Meanwhile, in the other main attractions, Phuket Restaurant survived a thrilling match against Saipem Company with a 90-89 win in Open League B, Bahrain Philippine Cargo routed Saudi Aramco’s MBPA 91-71 in League C, and Zamil Offshore stamped its dominance against Extra 97-55 while Snamprogetti beat newcomer Gabaswire Company team 80-53 in the Intercompany division.

The scores:

FAEC (88) Gonzales 26, Labitoria 15, Carney 14, Eleazar 13, Katigbak 8, Delica 6, Sison 4, Simpas 2, Aclan 0, Patanao 0.

ARCC (82) Fabula 24, Grijaldo 23, Porio 9, Garcia 8, Mapanao 6, Lapitan 5, Canlas 5, Khalili 2, Bautista 0, Dizon 0, San Jose 0.

Quarterscores: 15-23, 39-42, 66-57, 88-82