POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
Powerhouses APC Brothers and Toyota Ol'Aces I extended their win streaks and are currently tied on top, while the Kagman Cougars bounced back from their first loss of the season last week in the BANMI Budweiser Cup held at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
In the most recent match, the Brothers forced a tie with the Ol'Aces I by edging previously undefeated Diablo, 93-92, last Friday night.
The Brothers trailed after being outscored in the first quarter, 19-22, but kept their composure, and thanks to a vigorous effort from veterans Rick Alegre and Tony Diaz on the offensive side, overcame the deficit and turned it into a 7-point advantage at the break, 47-40.
Lethal scorer Fred Pelisamen then took command at the start of the second half. The Chalan Lau Lau flyer worked his way for 15 points, but found a sharp contest from former National cager Steve Rasa of Diablo, who proved that he too can still light up the scoreboard.
Rasa pumped in 9 points, while Dave Sablan chipped in with 7 to keep Diablo from falling farther behind trailing 66-73 going into the fourth stanza.
Renewing their rivalry, Sablan and Pelisamen gave fans a touch of their golden battles while slugging it out in the 18-and-under basketball league by carrying their squads on their shoulders. Sablan would score 13 points, leading a furious charge that almost got the job done, but it wasn't quite enough to turn back Pelisamen and company.
Pelisamen finished with a game-high 35 points while Diaz and Sivas Awes added 16 and 14 points for Brothers.
Sablan led Diablo with 31 points, while Rasa and George Masga contributed with 24 and 11 points.
Brothers 93-Pelisamen 35, T. Diaz 16, Awes 14, E. Diaz 9, Alegre 8, Ada 7, Manibusan 2, J. Diaz 2.
Diablo 92-D. Sablan 31, S. Rasa 24, Masga 11, Wesley 7, Aguon 5, Jo. Sablan 5, Je. Sablan 4, Villanueva 3, P. Rasa 2.
Scoring by quarters: 19-22, 47-40, 73-66, 93-92.
The Ol'Aces I leaned on a solid half-court set up charge and picked up their third win with a 77-59 victory over the San Vicente Sunrisers.
The game was tightly battled until the second half when the Ol'Aces I opened with a 13-0 run that quickly turned a 3-point halftime advantage to a 16-point cushion, 48-32. The Sunrisers tried to fight back but weren't to really close in.
Forward Edsel Mendoza led their balanced charge, showing off his quick footwork in the paint en route to tormenting the San Vicente players with 27 points, while Abong Camacho sizzled for 15 points.
Slotman Jawn Joyner paced the Sunrisers with 15 points, while Mark Wallace and Jerome Reyes added 13 and 10 points.
Cougars 70-Aspurua 13, Artates 11, Domingo 10, Arnedo 10, Villagomez 10, Lizama 9, Kiyoshi 4, Mesa 2, Garcia 1.
Ol'Aces II 63-Tagabuel 11, Olaitiman 10, Dillay 10, Ogumoro 9, Chong 8, Palacios 7, D. Iginoef 5, Lee 4.
Scoring by quarters: 24-10, 43-23, 63-42, 70-63.
Earlier, the Cougars got back to their winning ways by trouncing the young cast of Ol'Aces II. Even without guards Andres "Jhun" Estolas and Ferdinand Muleta, the Cougars still managed to send their opponents packing.
Mico Aspuria and Jon Artates scored 13 and 11 points, while Cris Domingo, Randy Arnedo, and Jacob Villagomez chipped in 10 points apiece for the Cougars.
B.J. Tagabuel poured in 11 points, while Mike Olaitiman and Dexter Dillay added 10 points apiece for the Ol'Aces II.
Ol'Aces I 77-Mendoza 27, A. Camacho 15, Ogumoro 9, P. Camacho 7, White 3, Rangamar 3, Celes 3, Iginoef 2, Tagabuel 2.
Sunrisers 59-Joyner 15, Wallace 13, Reyes 10, Peters 6, J. Quitugua 5, Cepeda 4, McDaniel 3, Guerrero 2, R. Quitugua 1.
Scoring by quarters: 22-17, 35-32, 57-46, 77-59.
