JEDDAH: MD RASHEED SUYAT

Al Salamah 2 of Johnny Bajas defeated Unicorp 87-74 in the JBL Lifestylez Basketball Tournament at Bin Mahfouz court in Andalus District here.

Al Salamah 2 bounced back from defeat last Thursday by GIG Jeddah showing improvement in offense. Ventura scored a game high 33 points for Salamah 2 and was adjudged as the Lifestylez Best Player of the game while Pabustas top-scored with 20 points for Unicorp.

This tournament is principally sponsored by Lifestylez. ABS-CBN — The Filipino Channel, Saudi Sign (Sam Adora), Al Haddaf Sportswear (Mohamed Bayoumi) and Arab News are co-sponsors.

Hyundai Castrol of Dennis Elmenzo beat Chili’s 63-51. Hyundai Castrol relied again in their trapping defense to halt the Chili’s offense in the final quarter. Man-to-man defense forced Chili’s ball handlers into crucial passing errors in the dying minutes of the game. Malik chipped in 14 points for Hyundai Castrol and was adjudged as the JBL Best Player of the game while Dela Cuesta and Masigan had 11 points apiece for Chili’s.

Al Bawadi 1 of Rick Santos defeated Al Kaki 83-60 in Unity Games. Al Bawadi 1 offense was unstoppable in the whole game. Ancheta scored 18 points Bawadi 1 and was adjudged as the Lifestylez Best Player of the game while Malildem had 17 points for Kaki.

Al Ruwais of Boy Parto beat Saudia City 52-36. Ruwais displayed organized basketball in the whole game looking for the open man time and again. Saudia City tried to contain the enemy offense but committed a lot of errors in the final quarter. Morrio top-scored with 12 points for Ruwais and was adjudged as the Arab News best player of the game while De Leon chipped in 12 points for Saudia City.

In Thursday games, GIG Jeddah of playing coach Jon Azupardo defeated Al Salamah 2 75-62. GIG continued to play steady offense en route to its third straight win. Edward contributed 12 points for GIG Jeddah and was adjudged as the JBL Best Player of the game while Johnny Bajas scored 17 points for Salama 2.

Al Naghi of Reggie Maga beat BMW 65-61. It was a championship-like atmosphere at Bin Mahfouz as both teams are the top contenders in their division. BMW attacked Al Naghi defense but Naghi showed fighting heart in the dying seconds to maintain its perfect record at 4-0. Nanding Unas scored 22 points Naghi and was adjudged as the Lifestylez Best Player of the game while Tata Seguis led BMW with 15 points.

Nexus Flight Services of Enrico Reyes defeated Al Majal 70-54. Nexus enjoyed excellent offensive strategy to contain Majal in the final quarter. Majal playing without their 2 main scorers tried hard to stay in the game. Nexus Flight Services dominated the shaded area in the final quarter. Herrero top scored with 20 points for Nexus Flight Services and was adjudged as the JBL Best Player of the game while Reyes had 17 points for Majal.