Keith Agovida Awards
posted October 9, 2008

Edster Sy is an Assistant coach for the JRU light bombers

Keith Jasper Agovida is the
2008 NCAA Juniors MVP
2008 NCAA Juniors Best Defensive Player
2008 NCAA Juniors Most Improved Player
2008 NCAA Juniours Mythical 5
2008 FCBL Mythical 5
2007 NCAA Juniors Rookie of the Year
2007 NCAA Juniors Best Defensive Player
2008 NCAA Juniours Mythical 5



NCAA Juniors Player Sets a New Scoring Record
posted October 9, 2008



Keith Jasper Agovida of Jose Rizal University lit up the scoreboard with 82 points last Sepptember 5, 2008, a new NCAA junior basketball tournament individual record, as he scored on nearly every possession in the Light Bombers' 127-49 rout of Malayan High School of Science at the Astrodome.

Agovida's output did not include a single triple, making his accomplishment even more astonishing. He did attempt a trey once but missed, otherwise it could have been 85. Already the tournament's top scorer with an average of 30.9 points per game, Agovida was like a person possessed as he went to the basket time and again and scoring almost at will.

The 6-foot-2, Agovida was 36-of-50 from the field and 10-of-16 from the free throw area. His other highlights -- 17 rebounds, five steals and two blocks -- enough to cushion six turnovers in 37 minutes of action.

In July 25 this year, Agovida, last year's Rookie of the Year winner scored 59 points against the same squad.

Likewise, the 6-foot-2 Agovida ripped the old mark of 71 set by Erwin Bolabola of Letran in the 70s.

Also shining for the Light Bombers was Ric Madlangbayan who produced triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had five steals and a blocked shot.

Louie Vigil also completed a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He added eight assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Actually, two other JRU players scored in double figures as they improved their record to 7-4, enough to earn a semis berth

Jose Rizal 127 -- Agovida 82, Madlangbayan 15, Vigil 11, Saret 6, Lontoc 5, Villena 4, Oliveria 2, Yasa 2, Regis 0, Barranco 0, Mathias 0, Vital 0, Chua 0, Rodriguez 0.

Malayan 49 -- Domingo 19, Alejandro 13, Basas 10, Sevilla 4, Pobre 2, Abad 1, Roxas 0, Targa 0, Espiritu 0, Castillo 0, Reyes 0.

Quarters: 35-8, 62-20, 91-39, 127-49.



Wishcraft, World Balance 2008 GABL Champs!!!
posted March 9, 2008

Wishcraft captured the Grace Alumni Basketball League (GABL) Fellowship Division title by demolishing Super Corniks 78-67. Wishcraft, one of the twelve teams from the inaugural GABL, led in almost all the statistical department except assist and block.

The Mutt and Jeff tandem of Jonathan Yu and the Fellowship Division MVP Andy Nelson Tan was at their usual form, combining for 31 points 13 rebounds and 11 steals to lead Wishcraft to their 1st GABL crown. Jerome Siongloo, Leo Licayan and Mandy Yao also came up with nice games combining for 31 points to back up Yu and Tan. It was thru Yu’s heroics, scoring 19 of his game high 23 points, which broke the game wide open for Wishcraft. They built a 46-26 at the end of 1st half and never relinquish the lead. Yu was named the Finals MVP

Super Corniks was led by Ronald Limsin with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Charlton Lee started the game on fire scoring 11 points in the 1st quarter, but went silent after the 1st 10 minutes.

Both Yu and Tan were named to the Fellowship Mythical team together with Limsin, Jolyon Lim of Super Corniks and David Jansen Tan of Wildcats.

In the Open Division Championship game, World Balance needed extra 5 minutes to brush off Apsco/Cypress Construction to capture their own title. The game appeared to be headed to another overtime when Oliver Lao was fouled with no time remaining, World Balance leading 91-89. But Lao muffed the 1st charity, which led to a wild celebration by the Shoemakers.

Dexter Quan and Johannes Go teamed up to give World Balance their 1st GABL Open Crown. Quan scored 22 of his 24 points in the 1st three quarters when both teams traded leads, Go made his mark when the game was on the line scoring 18 of his team high 25 after the half time break, Go scored 8 of the shoemakers 14 points in overtime. Quan and Go were named finals co-MVP for their heroic efforts.

Apsco/Cypress was paced by Albert Chin with a game high 29 points and 6 steals. Open Division MVP Alvin Bryan Lim and Lao backed Chin’s effort with 19 and 15 points respectively.

Quan and Albert Chua of World Balance, Lim and Lao of Apsco/Cypress and Allan Anson Tan of One Spa made up the Mythical team of the Open Division.



Super Corniks Goes to the Finals
Arranges duel with Wishcraft, Apsco/Cypress vs World Balance
posted March 4, 2008

Grace Alumni Basketball League (GABL) will have a different champion after Super Corniks knocked off back-to-back titlist United Generic Pharmacy 58-55 in their sudden death semis match. Super Corniks will face off with Wishcraft, also a first time finalist in this annual basketball tourney at GCHS Gym.

Super Corniks started like a house on fire making 6 shots from the 3 point area, 3 coming from Carlton Lee, against the UGP zone defense in the first quarter alone. They showed signs of a blowout game by building a 25-10 first quarter lead. But the United Generic Pharmacy showed their poise and experience, switching to man to man defense, and slowly trimmed down the deficit to 4, 36-32 at half time.

Richard Limsin had a big game for Super Corniks, coming up with a double-double performance of 16 points 10 rebounds, single handedly holding his own against the UGP frontline, while shoti Ronald was nursing foul trouble on the bench. Lee and Casper Ngo backed up Limsin with 12 and 10 points respectively.

The back-to-back defending champion UGP was paced by Ely Jovon and Robert Sy with 13 and 12 points respectively. Super Corniks made defensive adjustment to limit Danny Ching and Ben Ong to a combined 13 points, 32 points below from their combined 45 points last outing.



Wishcraft Enters Finals
United Generic Pharmacy Forces Rubber Match
posted March 2, 2008

Wishcraft makes their first Grace Alumni Basketball League (GABL) championship appearance after defeating Wildcats 49-36 in their sudden death semifinals duel. Wishcraft will go for their first title against the winner of the match between Super Corniks and United Generic Pharmacy on Tuesday. Championship in the Fellowship Division is set on Sunday, March 9, 2008 after the championship in the Open Division.

Wishcraft, used their suffocating defense to frustrate Wildcats in the 1st quarter, holding them without a field goal the entire 1st quarter. Wildcats scored a season low of 3 points in the 1st quarter, all of them from the free throw line. Wishcraft, a professional events organizing company of Marshall Ongteco, was again led by their Mutt and Jeff tandem of Andy Nelson Tan with 8 points 9 rebounds and Jonathan Yu, the only player to score double figure in this very low scoring game, with 10 points 3 steals. Jansen Tan, the lone player who scored for Wildcats in the 1st quarter, finished with 7 points to pace the losing team. Wildcats started the tournament on fire by winning their first 9 assignments but lost 3 of their last 4 games to bow out of the tournament.

In the other Fellowship Division semis match United Generic Pharmacy defeated Super Corniks 64-62 to arrange a winner-take-all game on on Tuesday. Super Corniks entered the game with a twice to beat advantage by finishing as the #1 team after the quarterfinals round. Danny Ching had a game high 24 points 11 rebounds to lead the ever youthful United Generic Pharmacy and was supported by Ben Ong’s 21 points 5 steals and Tony Sy’s double-double performance of 10 points 10 rebounds. James Ong was the only man in double figures for Super Corniks with 10. Three other players scored 9 points apiece.

In the Open Division semis match, World Balance outplayed One Spa 82-75 to arrange a title showdown against Apsco/Cypress. The Shoe makers blew a 20 point 3rd quarter but got big plays from their starters when it really counts most. With their team down by 1 66-67, Albert Chua, Alex Lao and Johannes Go combined for 13 of their team’s last 16 points. Chua led World Balance with 20 points 7 assists followed by Alex Lao’s 14 points 10 rebounds. Dexter Quan, Francis Sy and Go also scored in double digit for World Balance. Kelwin Ang had a game-high 21 points to pace One Spa, while Allan Tan and Mark Stepehn Lim combined for 28 points and 10 rebounds.




Wishcraft, Super Corniks in Semis
posted February 26, 2008

Wishcraft (9-2) and Super Corniks (9-2) made it to the semifinals round of the 2008 season of Grace Alumni Basketball League (GABL) Fellowship Division on contrasting style. Wishcraft came from behind to defeat erstwhile leader Wildcats (9-2) 69 to 64. Super Corniks on the other hand controlled the game from start to finish to subdue United Generic Pharmacy (8-3) 53-43, it was their 8th straight win after starting with a 1-win 2-loss record.

Wildcats actually finished the quarterfinals round with similar win-loss record as Wishcraft and Super Corniks but had to take a longer route to the semis because of lower goal average (quotient system) at 0.8102. Super Corniks, the team with highest goal average among the 3 teams tied at 9-win 2-loss record with 1.3, will face the lower seeded team that will enter the semis via wildcard round.

Wishcraft again was led by their dynamic duo of Jonathan Yu and Andy Nelson Tan with 22 points 5 assist 4 steals and 12 points 14 rebounds respectively, ably backed up by Leo Licayan’s 13 and Alex Tan’s 10 points. It was Alex Tan’s 2 pressure packed free throw that sealed the game for Wishcraft after getting fouled with few ticks left and their team up by only 3 points at 67-64. Wildcats team was paced by Stephen Chua with 17 points and Jiet See with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Wildcats big man Archibald Dee re-injured his ankle during the game and his absence was a big factor as they were out rebounded by Wishcraft 32-28.

In the other games, Power Construction (8-3) won over VCO Fresh (6-5) 64-46 to arrange a one game showdown with United Generic Pharmacy for 1 of the 2 remaining semifinals seat. And Captain’s Burger (5-6) finished their 2008 season with a 71-67 win over Gerry’s Grill (4-7).

Power Construction and United Generic Pharmacy finished the quarterfinals round with same win-loss record to scratch off the twice to beat advantage of the higher seeded team in the wildcard match. Wildcats will have twice to beat advantage over VCO Fresh in the other Fellowship Division wildcard match which will start on Friday, February 29, 2008. A sudden death match on Sunday will be set up if VCO Fresh upsets the higher seeded Wildcats. If the Wildcats can get the job done on Friday, Fellowship Division semi-finals round will immediately start on Sunday, March 2, 2008.

Open Division Semi-finals action will also be featured on the same day as Apsco/Cypress and World Balance will face off with Supreme Steel Pipes and One Spa respectively. Both Apsco/Cypress and World Balance has twice to beat advantage.




Super Corniks Halts Wildcats
posted February 22, 2008

Super Corniks (8-2) dealt Wildcats (9-1) their first taste of defeat 68-47 in the 2008 Grace Alumni Basketball League. With outright semis hope still alive, Super Corniks once again showed great defense by giving up only 15 points while scoring 36 points of their own in the 1st half. With the win, Super Corniks extended their winning streak to 7 games after starting with a 1-win 2-lose record. Super Corniks was led by the Limsin brothers, Ronald and Richard, with 15 and 12 points respectively. Wildcats were paced by playing team manager Richmond Tan and Jiet See with 11 points apiece. The former Talayan team loss the rebounding 26-31, got a big blow when big man Archibald Dee got injured early in the game and was never fielded back.

Power Construction (7-3) stopped their skid with a 67-50 demolition of the undermanned Gerry’s Grill (4-5). Power Construction dominated the game from start to finish, this time showed better shooting percentage compared to their last three games which ended in defeat. Power Construction of Coach Philip Lim, was led by main man Edwin Yap with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Kenson Ng had a game high 24 points for Gerry’s Grill who bowed out of the wildcard round contention.

In other games, United Generic Pharmacy (8-2) defeated Wishcraft (8-2) 42-38. Wishcraft missed the services of their ace play maker Jonathan Yu who is still out of the country. VCO Fresh (6-4) won over Captain’s Burger (4-6) 70-67. Captain’s Burger likewise lost their wildcard hopes.

The league will take a rest on Sunday, February 24, 2008 and resume on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 with Wildcats (9-1) facing off with Wishcraft (8-2) for the outright semis berth. A win by Wildcats will give them number 1 seed and assure them of a twice to beat advantage in the semis against the lowest seeded team that will advance. A Wishcraft win will create a triple tie at 9-win 2-loss record between Wishcraft, Wildcats and the winner of the match between United Generic Phamrmcy and Super Corniks.

The second game in court A will be just as exciting as Power Construction (7-3) will battle out with VCO Fresh (6-4) for 5th seed in the wildcard round. Gerry’s Grill (4-6) and Captain’s Burger with play for 7th place in the last game of the quarterfinals round in court B.



United Generic Pharmacy Squeaks Past VCO Fresh
posted February 19, 2008

Wildcats Remain Unbeaten
Wildcats (9-0), bidding to capture it’s first Grace Alumni Basketball League title in the Fellowship Division, needed extra five minutes to bring down two-time runner up Gerry’s Grill (4-5) 74-66. The former Talayan team (in inaugural GABL), was led by big man Archibald Dee with 25 points and 15 rebounds, and was backed up by new recruit Stephen Chua with 17 points. Wildcats showed their opponent their deep bench by using different combinations on the floor. Visibly missing high scoring Gilbert Go, who is still sidelined by back spasm, Gerry’s Grill relied on big man Daryll Tan who made his presence felt with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Tan was backed up by Gerry’s Grill boss Christian Cheng and Kenson Ng with 16 and 14 points respectively.

Wishcraft (8-1) had break out games from Leo Licayan and birthday boy Alex Tan to demolish Captain’s Burger (4-5) at 79-61. Licayan had 19 points 10 rebounds 2 blocks coming off the bench and Tan finished with 12 points on 6/9 shooting. Wishcraft dynamic duo of Andy Nelson Tan and Jonathan Yu combined for 29 points 15 rebounds and 8 assists. Captain’s Burger was paced by Marlon Geronimo with 14 points.

United Generic Pharmacy (7-2) narrowly escaped the dangerous VCO Fresh team (5-4) at 79-76. The 40 years old and above team celebrated too early and almost had their victory snatched by VCO team, but the veterans relied on their many years of basketball experience to come out with the win. VCO had a chance to send the game into overtime when UGP magicman Tony Sy missed two charities on a foul given up by Dayle Ng to stop the time, UGP up by only 3. VCO got the rebound and hurriedly pushed the ball up the floor. Michael Guiao, who earlier made 3 shots from the rainbow territory to lead their comeback, missed the shot from trifecta that would have sent the game into overtime.

Super Corniks (7-2) got their 6 straight win 62-38, after starting with a 1-win 2-loss record, at the expense of Power Construction (6-3) who suffered their 3rd straight defeat after starting with a 6-win no loss record. Super Corniks has an average winning margin of 19.86 points, their last 3 opponents by a combined 71 points, limiting opponents below 52 points on their wins. Casper Ngo led Super Corniks with 15 points. The slumping Power Construction was outscored by a combined 56 points in their last 3 outing, was paced by Avelino Lim with 13 markers.




Boston Basketball Training Workout
to be conducted by Coach Kevin Barboza of Hoop Gains
posted February 18, 2008

Here is the good news! Coach Barboza agreed to be with us this coming Feb 28, Mar 1-3, 2008 and conduct a 4-session Training Workout.

(Feb 28, Mar 1 & 3 7:30-10PM; Mar 2 5:30-7PM)

Coach Barboza will be handling training workouts for Coca-Cola team on Feb 26-28, DLSU-MBA Varsity Team & Gold’s Gym Basketball Team on Mar. 3-6. Other training workouts pending confirmation of schedule is with the Purefoods team and other collegiate basketball teams.

The Program includes Speed and Agility, Strength Training Drills, Self Improvement Drills Specific to Position, Team Concepts and Player Evaluation.

A special rate of P3,500/player is given to our group. I hope we can grab this rare opportunity. Limited slots only!

Feel free to contact Edster Sy or Mr. Willy Chan to register to this program.

“I owe it to Kevin Barboza who got both Dennis and Marlou going again,” said Encarnado. “Kevin handled our training in Boston last year. I saw the guys throwing up because of how hard Kevin worked them over. But they never complained.”

- Buddy Encarnado (Sta. Lucia Team Manager)


For complete article pls read:
http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=20080216154&type=2



Apsco/Cypress Deals World Balance 1st Defeat
Gains number 1 position in Open Division
posted February 17, 2008

Apsco/Cypress Construction snatched number 1 position with a nail biting 63-61 win over erstwhile leader World Balance Sunday afternoon (February 17, 2008). The under-manned Apsco/Cypress, who came to the game with only 7 players, got a big break in the end game when World Balance ace playmaker Albert Chua missed 2 of the 3 free throw awarded to him, when he was fouled attempting a three point shot, Apsco/Cypress ahead by 1 at 61-60. With 2 more teams fouls to give before going to the penalty situation, Apsco/Cypress guard Albert Chin fouled Chua on the dribble, but the game official ruled it as a shooting foul as Chua immediately went up for the shot after the contact. Chin made up for the foul by grabbing the rebound off the missed free throw and dribbled across the court and into the World Balance defense for the winning basket.

Alvin Bryan Lim led Apsco/Cypress with 18 point and 7 rebounds, backing him up are Chin with 16 points, 5 assists 4 steals and Oliver Lao with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Johannes Go paced World Balance with 22 points making 6 shots from the 3 point area, supported by Alex Lao with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

United Generic Pharmacy (6-2) controlled the game from start to finish to defeat Gerry’s Grill (4-4) 72-63. United Generic Pharmacy started the game with a 15-4 run, took advantage of the handicapped Gerry’s Grill whose leading scorer Gilbert Go is out with back spasm. United Generic Pharmacy, composed of players who are aged 40 and above, was led by Ben Ong with 18 points, Danny Ching and Tony Sy had 13 points apiece. Kenson Ng scored 30 points for the Grillers but failed to draw enough support from other teammates.

Super Corniks (6-2) got their 5th win in a row by demolishing Captain’s Burger (4-4) 67-50. Super Corniks took advantage of the smaller Captain’s Burger by controlling the boards 45-32, and also showed better team work issuing 9 more assists (12-3) than their opponents. Super Cornik playing coach Jeffrey Kwa flirted with triple-double, missing it by only 2 assists, finishing with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Captain’s Burger was paced by Victor Yap’s 13 points.

Wildcats (8-0) leaned on David Jansen Tan’ 19 points, 15 coming in the second half, to turn back VCO Fresh (5-3) 61-52. Tan also showed up in defense with 9 rebound 3 steals and 2 blocks. VCO Fresh was paced by their new recruits Chino Guasa, Rendell Ching and Dayle Ng with 13, 10 and 9 points respectively.

Wishcraft (7-1) starting line-up outplayed their Power Construction (6-2) starters 43-36 to give Wishcraft a 59-53 win. Andy Nelson Tan led the balanced attack of Wishcraft with 12 points drawing support from other starters Jonathan Yu, Jack Co, Jerome Siongloo and Andrew Ang who combined for 31 points. Alex Tan, Mandy Yao and Eugene Coo combined for 16 points off the bench for Wishcraft. Chi-man Ng and Edwin Yap paced Power Construction with 17 and 12 points, but no other player came close to double figure. Power Construction had a 34-23 edge in rebounding (14 offensive rebound) but was not able to capitalize on them, shooting only 31.6% (19/60) from the 2 point area.

One Spa (5-2) made mincemeat of the very young Virgin Cola team (0-7) in registering a 86-55 win. One Spa dominated the game from tip off using their big men to their advantage. Allan Anson Tan led One Spa with 22 markers followed by Dunhill Dy and Jerry Ong with 18 and 14 respectively. 6’6’’ Mark Stephen Lim added 12 points, 13 boards and 4 blocks. Playing without a legitimate big man, Virgin Cola couldn’t stop their much bigger opponent giving up 56 points inside points. Kenneth Terio and Brian Calantoc paced Virgin Cola with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Action resumes on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 with four scheduled games in the quarterfinals round of the Fellowship Division. Captain’s Burger (4-4) will try to keep their wildcard round hopes alive against Wishcraft (7-1) who is seeking a bye in the wildcard round. VCO Fresh (5-3) will try to get back on the winning form against the ever youthful United Generic Pharmacy (6-2). Wildcats (8-0) is also seeking outright semis seat against the struggling Gerry’s Grill (4-4), who lost back to back games. High scoring forward Gilbert Go of Gerry’s Grill is still a doubtful starter after suffering back spasm while playing a game for Cypress Construction in the Open Division last Tuesday. Super Corniks (6-2) will face Power Construction (6-2) in the main game on Court B. Both teams will be going for their 7th win and try to catch up on the two outright semis seat.

Top 2 teams after the quarterfinals round will be seeded into the semifinals round. The 3rd placer will then face the 6th and the 4th placer going up against the 5th. The 3rd and 4th placer will have twice to beat advantage in the wildcard, while the top 2 teams will have a twice to beat advantage in the semis. There will be NO twice to beat in case the two teams have the same win-loss record.

Open Division will have 12 days off before the start of the semifinals round on Feb. 29, 2008 (Friday). Number 1 seed Apsco/Cypress Construction will go up against Supreme Steel Pipe. While World Balance faces off with One Spa in the other semis match. Apsco/Cypress and World Balance will enjoy twice to beat advantage.



9th Place for Altaville
posted February 16, 2008

Altaville ended their 2008 GABL Fellowship Division campaign on a winning note taking a 59-56 decision over the Yao Family. Paolo Cabrera made 3 shots from the three point area when Altaville built an early 16-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. He went on to lead his team in scoring, finishing with a game-high 17 markers. Paolo Tan and Adrian Chua also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively for Altaville being handled by coach Gerald Gan. Yao Family was paced by Owen Que and Jeff Chung with 15 and 14 points respectively. Altaville and Yao Family both finished the season with an even 4-win 4-loss record.

Happy Again takes 11th place behind the hot hands of Paul Co and Rogemson Midel to defeat Auztralian 60-58. Co and Midel finished the game with 20 points apiece for Happy Again, backing them up was Joemil Yao with 10 points. Players from both team had to play extended minutes on a 6-man rotation as only 6 players suited up for both teams. Auztralian was paced by Christopher Tiu’s 18 points, Wesley Ching and Laurence Cu both had 13 points.

EX-O ended their losing streak at 6 games by defeating 4K Resorts 48-41. EX-O started their GABL campaign with an impressive 47-33 demolition of Yao Family on opening day, but loss their next 6 games to finish the elimination round with a (1-6) record. EX-O team, mostly made up of players who are from Grace Village, was led by Jonathan Beltran, the brother of Grace Alumni team manager Christopher Beltran, with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Ken Patrick Tan came up with a double-double performance scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to back up Beltran. Bad boy Maynard “Papa Polo” Chua was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul 5:30 remaining in the game, giving 4K two charities plus ball possession. Ralph Dy scored 12 points for the winless 4K Resort which is located at Sta. Maria, Bulacan and managed by Kenneth dela Cruz, youngest of the four dela Cruz siblings, all of which have the same initials.

Actions resumes on Sunday with 4 quarterfinals game in the Fellowship Division and the last 2 games of the elimination round for the Open Division. Two-time defending champion United Generic Pharmacy (5-2) and two-time runner up Gerry’s Grill (4-3) will renew their rivalry at 1:30pm. Both teams are very familiar with each other styles of play as they have faced each other in the finals of the 2006 and 2007 GABL finals. Gerry’s Grill, led by high scoring Gilbert Go, has always have the better end over the more experienced United Generic Pharmacy team in the elimination round, using their speed and pressing defense to their advantage. But the veterans made their presence felt where it counts most-in the finals- taking the 1st and 2nd GABL championship trophies.

In other quarterfinals game, Wildcats (7-0), will put their unblemished record at stake when they face off with the very dangerous VCO Fresh (5-2). Captain’s Burger (4-3) will try to halt the 4 game winning run of Super Corniks (5-2). Power Construction (6-1) will try to bounce back from a disappointing loss in their elimination round game when the face Wishcraft (6-1) which is being led by Batman and Robin combination of Andy Nelson Tan and Jonathan Yu, who played against each other in the Open Division.

In the last games of the elimination round for the Open Division, One Spa (4-2) will to follow up their impressive 79-70 win over Supreme Steel Pipe (3-4) against the winless Virgin Cola (0-6). Apsco/Cypress Construction (5-1) will go for a twice to beat advantage when they face the undefeated World Balance (6-0). Win or lose, World Balance have to be beaten twice in the semis. While an Apsco defeat and a win by One Spa against Virgin Cola will arrange a one game semifinals meeting between Apsco and One Spa.



World Balance Stays Immaculate
posted February 12, 2008

World Balance (6-0) survived Carp Soy Sauce (1-6) 71-68 to keep their record spotless in the 2008 GABL Open Division. Unlike their first encounter which needed five extra minute to determine the winner, this time Johannes Go made sure that there will be no overtime by knocking in a big shot outside the three point line with less than 5 seconds remaining. Henry Cheng had a chance to tie the game but his desperation three at the buzzer failed to go in. Go single handedly carried the offensive load for the shoe makers with 24 points, supporting him are Alex Lao with 9 points. 17 rebounds 4 blocks and Francis Sy with 8 pts. 6 reb. World Balance obviously missed the services of ace playmaker, Albert Chua, scored only 71 points after averaging 89.5 points in their last 2 outings. Cloyd Ong led the way for Carp with 23 pts. on 7 of 10 shooting from the rainbow area and the double-double performances of Julius Gamboa and Cheng with 18 pts. 11 reb. and 12 pts. 10 reb. respectively. World Balance is now assured of a twice to beat advantage in the semi finals.

In the other Open Division game, Cypress Construction (5-1) demolished Virgin Cola (0-6) 58-39 after surviving their first encounter by only 2 pts. Alvin Toge Lim mocked all defenders thrown at him, scoring 25 pts and grabbing 8 rebs.

In the fellowship division, Yao Family (4-3) crushed Auztralian (2-5) 69-52 led by Mark Choa’s 23 pts. 5 reb. and 5 steals. Auztralian was paced by Wesley Ching with 14 pts.

4K Resort (0-7) remained winless bowing to Altaville (3-4) 67-78. Four players scored in double figures for Altaville led by Adrian Chua’s double-double with 18 points and 14 boards. Victor Ramoy paced 4K Resort with a game high 33 points.

Fellowship Division actions resumes on Friday with four scheduled games in the consolation round for placing. Sosan faces Packers for 13th place followed by Altaville against Yao Family for 9th place in court A, while EX-O and 4K Resort will both elude last place and Happy Again versus Auztralian for the 11th place in court B.



4K vs. Altaville/Yao vs. Auztralian
posted February 12, 2008
Apsco vs. Virgin Cola/World Balance vs. Carp

With the quarter finalist already decided last Sunday, all four teams would like to end their elimination round with a win and bring a more respectable record to Fridays’ game for placing. 4K Resort (0-6) will again rely on the scoring duo of Kenneth dela Cruz and Sheldon Ang who averaged 23ppg and 15ppg respectively in their last 2 outings, totaling more that half of their team’s output. Altaville (2-4), armed with a deeper bench will try to outrun 4K Resort.

Though both teams are already out of quarterfinals hope, Yao Family and Auztralian will go all out for the win. Winner of this game will play for 9th place against Altaville, while the loser will challenge Happy Again (2-5) for 11th place.

The four semi finalist in the Open Division was also determined last Sunday, when Virgin Cola (0-5) bowed out of contention by losing to Carp Soy Sauce (1-5). World Balance (5-0) and Apsco/Cypress Construction (4-1) would like to secure twice to beat advantage when they go up tonight against Carp and Virgin Cola respectively. It would be the second time both teams will face each other. Apsco survived a great come back by Virgin Cola winning by only 2 points 72-70 in their first encounter, when Aldrin Yao missed a wide open lay up at the buzzer. This time Apsco will be without Gilbert Sanidad, who top scored for them against Virgin Cola with 28 pts and grabbed 11 boards in his lone game of the season.

Though having great advantage in height, World Balance (5-0) needed extra five minutes to brush off Carp Soy Sauce (1-5) 73-66 in their first encounter. World Balance will be led by the ever reliable Dexter Quan and playmaker Albert Chua. The shoe makers must find a way to contain Cloyd Ong who scored 32 points in their first meeting, making 6 out of 8 shots from the three point area.



Grace Ousted by Uno
posted February 11, 2008
The Uneans reached the Final Four after posting a come-from-behind 71-67 quarterfinal triumph over No. 6 seed Grace Christian High School, a payback for their 77-64 loss last Feb. 5 that forced Saturday’s rubber match.

Grace Christian led by as many as 10 poins, 53-43, late in the third quarter, before Uno went on a 9-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters. The Graceans actually started the fourth quarter with three full timeouts remaining, had their lead trimmed down to 53-52 before calling their first timeout in the second half. By that time, momentum was clearly on Uneans’ side.

Hotshot Lawrence Chua had 20 markers for Grace Christian. However, Chua was benched for a few minutes after drawing his fourth foul at the 5:22 mark and his absence was a major factor’s in Uno’s endgame resurgence.

Following a 55-55 deadlock, Grace Christian regained its composure and grabbed a 65-61 advantage on a three-pointer by guard Jason Tan that also drew a foul, with time down to 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Tan miss the bonus freethrow for a rare four point play and Grace Christian’s downfall began. The Uneans scored seven consecutive points behind Michael Reyes, Raymond Cailles and Mark Ronald Chua to go ahead, 68-65, at the 2:15 mark.

Deadly playmaker Christian So, who topscored for Grace Christian with 22 points, stole the ball off the taller Reyes to close the gap at 68-67. The Uno coaching staff did their scouting home works by always putting a taller man to defend So. The Uneans sacrificed their offense for defense by using taller guards to pressure the young and talented So, rather than using their ace playmaker Isaac Lim, who is smaller than So. With L.A. Chua on the bench saddled by foul trouble, the offensive load was left on the junior guard’s shoulder that played the whole second half.

Grace even had a chance to regain the lead but the outside sniping Aaron Chang missed his patented floater with 45.6 seconds remaining, and the well conditioned Mark Chua made a big left-handed jumper near the foul line on the next play to give the Uneans 70-67 lead, with time down to 19 ticks. Without any timeouts remaining, the clearly unprepared Graceans got a break when Kurt Chua was fouled on the next play with both teams in the penalty situation, stopping the clock and giving the Graceans a chance to bring the lead down to 1.

Armed with two timeouts and leading by 3, the veteran bench tactician of Uno, rushed to the scorer’s table to call a timeout to put pressure on the shooter. It turned out to be a smart move as the sophomore big man missed both charities. LA Chua was forced to give up his 5th and final foul on the rebound play to stop the clock. And the Uneans split the charities to seal the outcome.

Only six players scored for Uno although four were in double digits – Chua, 22; Johan Montes, 15; Reyes, 13; and Cailles, 10.



Blow out Sunday
posted February 10, 2008
Five out of the six games in the Fellowship Division had double digit winning margins, including the games for group leadership. The ever youthful United Generic Pharmacy (5-2) started the day of by dumping Sosan (1-6) 104-49. Composed of players who are 40 years old and above, United Generic Pharmacy dominated the game from start to finish, as only five Sosan players showed up for the game. Samson Abrigo led the way with 31 points 7 rebounds 5 assists including 5 of 7 shooting from the three point area. Supporting Abrigo with a double-double performance was Christopher Beltran’s 22 points and 10 rebounds. The team showed their more than 30 years of basketball experience by dominating the boards 56 to 20 and assists 25 to 5. Walter Go led Sosan with 22 point and 5 rebounds.

Wishcraft (6-1) captured Fellowship B leadership with a 62-51 crushing of VCO Fresh (5-2). VCO Fresh, who trailed 8-20 at the end of first quarter, started the second quarter with a 4-0 run. But Wishcraft countered with their own 12-2 run by connecting four back breaking shots from the rainbow territory. VCO Fresh kept there composure and finished closed the half trailing by only 8 points 26-34. Wishcraft broke the game away by outscoring VCO Fresh 16 to 7 in the third quarter to build an insurmountable 50-33 lead at the start of fourth quarter. Wishcraft connected 47% (7/15) of their three point shots to VCO’s 15% (2/13). Leading the way for Wishcraft is main man Andy Nelson Tan with 17 points 16 rebounds and 2 blocks. Supporting Andy’s inside game was the outside snipping of Jerome Siongloo and Mandy Yao who combined for 20 points. VCO Fresh was paced by Dayle Ng and Chino Guasa with 12 points apiece.

With the Fellowship A leadership at stake, Wildcats (7-0) dominated Power Construction (6-1) from start to finish to the score of 73-47. Wildcats started the game with a 7-0 run, pulled the game away slowly but surely. The group leaders dominated the defensive boards 31-19 and translated them into fastbreak points and built at 35-22 lead at the half. Power Construction actually had 17 offensive rebounds but was not able to capitalize on it, as they had a horrible shooting day, converting only 23% (11/48) of their 2 point field goals compared to the 56% (22/39) of Wildcats. Stephen Chua led the way for winners with 19 points – 14 coming in the first half and Jiet See added 15 points and 5 rebounds. Power Construction was paced by Stephen dela Cruz and Edwin Yap who combined for 21 points and 18 rebounds.

Super Corniks (5-2) marched their way into the quarterfinals by dumping Packers (1-6) 85 to 55. It was 2 pair ahiya and syoti versus a pair. The Limsin brothers, Richard and Ronald, combined for 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Kwa siblings, Kenneth and Jeffrey, which provided leadership for Super Corniks against Sydney and Kendrick Abrigo, who combined 26 points and 6 rebounds for the Packers. The 2 pair of brothers was supported by Casper Ngo and Jolyon Lim with 15 and 13 points respectively. While the Abrigos were backed by Stanley Chua’s 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.

In the only Fellowship Division game today that did not have double digit winning margin, Captain’s Burger (4-3) formally went into the quarterfinals round by beating Happy Again (2-5) 76 to 67. Marvin Geronimo led Captain’s Burger with 27 points. Happy Again was paced by Emmanuel Chua with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Auztralian (2-4) crushed EX-O (1-6) 83-46. Auztralian was led by Christopher Tiu 17 points and the all around performance of Angelo Lim with 8 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 8 steals. Maynard “Papa Polo” Chua topscored for the EX-O team with 17 points.

In the Open Division, Virgin Cola (0-5) bowed out of contention after suffering a 70-74 set back to Carp Soy Sauce (1-5). Carp Soy Sauce notched their first win of the season at the expense of the team made up of players who are 22 years old and younger. Cloyd Ong had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but it was his dagger 3 pointer, when their lead was being threatened at 68-65, that sealed the win for Carp. Tam Raymond Go and Bryan Johnson Lim led the winless Virgin Cola with 16 and 15 points respectively.

In the other Open Division game, One Spa (4-2) came from behind and pushed Supreme Steel Pipes (3-4) to their first back to back defeat of the season. Dunhill Dy had 23 points and 5 boards for One Spa. Dy was supported by Allan Tan’s 15 points and 7 rebounds, Mark Stephen Lim’s 14 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks and 2 steals, and Jerry Ong’s 12 points 5 assists and 3 steals. Daniel Dagdag’s double-double performance of 17 points and 11 boards paced Supreme Steel Pipes.



Packers Finally Gets a Win!
posted February 08, 2008
Packers got their first win at the expense of EX-O team in the GABL 2008, scoring 60 to 59. The loss was a heartbreaker for EX-O team who were still leading with 2.9 seconds remaining. Packers got an inbound pass from the sideline infront of their bench and made a 3 point shot as time expired, leaving the EX-O team in shock. The whole team couldn't believe the result of the game as they still have one foul to give before going into the penalty situation. It was a very hard-earned win for the Packers who kept the game close from start to finish. The win gave the Packers team the win over the other advantage in case both teams finish at the bottom of Fellowship B division. EX-O team now has to win their last assignment against Auztralian team on Sunday to avoid finishing last in their group.

In the other the Fellowship B action, VCO Fresh kept its composure throughout the game and relied on their team defense to frustrate Gerry's Grill team 51-49. The Grillers actually had a chance to send the game into overtime when their top scored Gilbert Go was fouled with few more ticks left and VCO Fresh team in the penalty situation. After missing his first try, Go intentionally missed the second attempt, but the Grillers failed to get the offensive rebound.

With the win, VCO Fresh team guaranteed their way into the next round, dimming the chances of the Yao Family team. The Yao Clan were watching the game on the sideline, hoping VCO Fresh would be defeated in back to back games with the Grillers and the Wishcraft team on Sunday. The only way for the Yao's to survive the elimination round is to win their last assignment against the dangerous Auztralian team, and hope the Super Corniks team will be upset by the Packers team.

Overshadowed by the two exciting games were Power Construction's 76-67 win over the Captain's Burger team, and United Generic Pharmacy's 67-56 victory over Happy Again team. Power construction was leading by as many as 20 points in the third and fourth quarter, until a late rally from the Captain's Burger team brought the lead down to six with almost 3 minutes remaining in the game. Visibly tired from the big comeback, the Captain's Burger team were forced to hurried attempts and errors as time was not on their side.



Crucial Friday Games!!
posted February 07, 2008
All important games this Friday night. Court A action will see Packers(0-5) facing the struggling EX-O(1-4) team. After an opening day win, EX-O lost their last 4 games. Packers team will again try to notch their much coveted first win. Looser of the Packers-EX-O game will end up last place on the group B of the Fellowship division.

In the main game for court A, Gerrys Grill(4-2) and VCO Fresh(4-1) will both try to get their 5th win as their assurance of getting past the elimination round. After Super Corniks(4-2) won their last game against Wishcraft(5-1), leadership for Group B became wide open as the top 4 teams all have a chance to end up on top of their group. Closely behind is Yao Family(3-3), hoping that Super Cornik will drop their last game against Packers.

It will be a battle of youth versus experience in the court B curtain raiser. Captains Burger(3-2) will try to get their 3rd straight against the undefeated Power Construction team(5-0). After starting the tournament with a 1-win and 2-loss record, Captains Burger got their strings together and won their last 2 games by double digit margins. Power Construction will try to keep their winning run to set up a match of undefeated teams with Wildcats(6-0) this Sunday.

In the main game of court B action, Happy Again(2-3) will try to keep their hopes of surviving the elimination round as they go up against the ever youthful United Generic Pharmacy-40 above team(3-2).

Top 4 teams from each group will move on to the next round and play 4 more games against the teams from the other group. Eliminated teams will be paired and will play 1 more game for placing.