Inside Review (Archive: February 27 - August 25, 2007) by Epoy Del Rosario
INSIDE REVIEW
Exclusive by Epoy Del Rosario
| VIRTUOSO STEPS OVER DECORE TO GRAB 3RD PLACE, 82-52 AUGUST 25, 2007 - Virtuoso caught Decore on a bad day, led early and never looked back to bag 3rd Place with an 82-52 win in the recently concluded 2nd Tournament of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup.Obviously still distraught over their semifinal loss to Skimkote 2 weeks ago, Decore players were missing the bounce in their play and were a couple of steps slower than their opponents. They fell behind early, despite the prolific shooting displayed by Ed Casares, who played his first game back from injury.With only Casares carrying the majority of the scoring load, Virtuoso capitalized with a balanced attack, led by exciting point guard Jeff Gaw who scattered 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.Alex Evangelista and Drew Ambatali carved Decore by alternately exposing weak points in the defense. Both scored 18 points with Evangelista adding 8 rebounds and 3 steals and Ambatali topping 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Virtuoso erected an insurmountable 27 point lead midway in the 4th, and polished off the score with Brian James Chiu connecting on long distance treys, some of which were released 8 feet behind the line. Chiu finished with 11 points despite coming in to the game only in the 2nd half. John Santiago also came in to ensure that there would be no comeback threats for Decore. Santiago connected on several 3-point plays in crucial stretches of the game to stymie any uprising bids from their opponents. He finished with 9 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Casares led Decore with 17 points and 9 rebounds, with Randy Go the only other Decore player in double figures with 12 points. He also added 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. SKIMKOTE SHAKES OFF TITAN SUPERFLEX FOR THE CROWN, 84-77 Both teams came out united in achieving one goal, surviving each other’s flurry of baskets in scoring runs and trading jabs in tight skirmishes. Ross Reyes and Jun Roberto opened up the scoring as the duo worked seamlessly in erecting a quick 7-0 lead. Skimkote regained their bearings in a matter of moments, however, as they even managed to overtake Titan Superflex with Lester Ong and Richard Ortiz asserting their scoring prowess, aided by big baskets coming from George Madrelejos, Joseph Gaytano and Mark Soriquez. Both teams were never separated by more than 9 points in the 1st 25 minutes of regulation play, as each scoring run mounted by one is quickly answered with a rally from the other. Titan Superflex looked very much in position to subdue Skimkote, as Leo Mamaradlo and Dunhill Villaruel joined in the scoring parade, enabling them several opportunities to widen the gap. They went up by 5 in the waning moments of the 3rd and appeared on the verge of riding on their momentum, before Chris Co turned the tide with two straight baskets to cut the lead, 52-51, 3:25 remaining in the quarter. Roberto promptly answered to up their lead 54-51, but Ong converted on a putback to breathe down their necks again, 54-53. Eric Baldovino then scored on a short stab to make it 56-53 with 2:15 left in the 3rd, then a 3-point play by Mamaradlo stretched it to 6, 59-53. The quarter ended with Titan Superflex leading 61-56. Baldovino opened up with a towering shot in the 4th to make it 63-56, then Reyes scored on an And 1 play for a 9-point lead. With Titan Superflex still leading by 9, Elmor Manalili scored on a 3-point play opportunity and Richard Chua converted on an Ortiz assist to bring them within 3 points, 68-65 with 7:04 remaining. Ong then stole the ball and got fouled to make it 68-67, and another basket by Manalili coming from Ong turned the tables as Skimkote grabbed the lead, 69-68 with 6:42 left. Roberto then scored on a drive to grab the lead back, but a brilliant assist from Co to Ong took the lead right back, 71-70. Ortiz then scored on a lay-in to stretch their lead to 3, but Mamaradlo quickly answered with a putback to trim the deficit to 1. A big 3-pointer by Steve Tattao snatched the lead back for Titan Superflex, 75-73, with 3:52 remaining. But Ong quickly answered with a trey of his own on the return play to make it 76-75 for Skimkote with 3:40 remaining. Joseph Gaytano sank a crucial bank shot coming from an Ortiz assist to give them additional breathing room, but Manny Fernando fed Baldovino inside to come within a point again. Ortiz then nailed a putback to extend their lead to 3. Titan Superflex failed to answer with a basket, as Mark Soriquez drove all the way on a fastbreak layup to give his team a very important 5-point cushion, 82-77, with only 1:50 remaining. Skimkote’s veterans outplayed and outhustled their counterparts in the last 110 seconds, largely due to the impressive substitution patterns by Soriquez throughout the game. With their starting five on the floor and Titan Superflex struggling with personnel management and team penalty, Gaytano, Ortiz and Ong hauled in 3 crucial offensive rebounds to play keep-away basketball, avoiding a deadball and denying Titan Superflex starters Dunhill Villaruel and Steve Tattao a chance of getting back into the game. Co seals it with a steal with 15 seconds left as the Skimkote bench rose in jubilation for the final score, 84-77 Boxscores: |
| SKIMKOTE BREAKS DECORE TO ENTER FINALS, 81-79 AUGUST 11, 2007 - Skimkote had a big 14-point lead going into the last 6 minutes of regulation, was still up 7 with a little more than 2 minutes to go, fell behind by 3 in the last 30 seconds but still managed to get the win via a buzzer beater courtesy of 5 straight points from Lester Ong to avoid a 2nd game with Decore, 81-79.Bolstered by inspired 1st half performances from Chris Co, who scored 12 points in the 1st quarter alone; George Madrelejos who had 8 in the 1st half; and Mark Soriquez who converted on several contested jumpers, Skimkote promptly left Decore frustrated and scampering after them with an 11-point halftime lead. The only bright spot in the 1st half for Decore was Randy Go, who made his first five shots to keep his team within striking distance.But finding their stride in the 3rd period and Decore sputtering to keep up, Skimkote strung up successive fastbreak scores after their lead was cut down to seven to erect an 18 point lead. Decore tried to catch up but crucial baskets from Madrelejos, Soriquez, Joseph Gaytano and Elmor Manalili kept them at bay. With 6:12 remaining in the game and down by 14, Decore tried for a final push. Two clutch three pointers by Melvin Patawaran and crucial baskets by Go, Tonton Gonzales and Edison Lim quickly brought the lead down to 7, with 2:19 remaining. Decore then scored 10 unanswered points, highlighted by a steal by Go which he took all the way for the lead, and an undergoal stab by Gonzales immediately after returning from the bench due to cramps to give Decore a 3 point cushion.A miss from three and a rebound by Epoy del Rosario with 27 seconds remaining seemed to seal Skimkote’s fate, as they were down 3 with del Rosario shooting 2 freethrows.All of Decore’s comeback efforts vanished in a matter of moments as del Rosario bungled the opportunity to seal the win, missing both freethrows, paving the way for Lester Ong to save the day for Skimkote.Ong connected on a three-pointer in the ensuing play to tie the game with 19 seconds to play. Decore’s plea for a timeout were missed by the table officials before the ball was inbounded from the backcourt. Skimkote then trapped the ball near their bench, enabling Madrelejos to steal the ball, who then got fouled with 5.8 seconds remaining. Skimkote inbounded the ball to Gaytano, who shuttled a pass to Richard Ortiz. Ortiz then faked a shot then dumped off a partially deflected pass to a wide-open Ong, who laid in the dagger at the sound of the buzzer for the final score, 81-79, to the jubilation of Skimkote’s bench and Decore players’ heartbreak. TITAN SUPERFLEX DROPS VIRTUOSO IN OVERTIME, 91-88 Virtuoso jumped on Titan Superflex early, erecting several double-digit leads and appeared to be in control of the match. Brian James Chiu, Alex Evangelista and Andrew Ambatali repeatedly scored on Titan Superflex’s defense. Titan Superflex finally made a game of it late in the 3rd quarter, as Ross Reyes, Leo Mamaradlo, Jun Roberto and Eric Baldovino mounted an uprising. Allen Gamallo and Jojit Ubina later joined in the fray as both veterans scored crucial points on forays into the lane. The two teams made a dogfight of it in the 4th, with tempers flaring on several physical plays and scuffles on the floor. Baldovino and Reyes then asserted their dominance inside the paint, with Baldovino scoring on three towering shots in the lane and as the dust cleared, Titan Superflex found itself on top by 2 with seconds remaining. Virtuoso then moved the ball around, rebounded a miss and found Chiu on the left quartercourt. Chiu launched a three-pointer that was contested by Gamallo. The referee called a foul on Gamallo on Chiu’s release, which then gave Chiu three free throws with no time remaining. Chiu backrimmed the 1st but made the next two freebies to send the game to overtime. He then proceeded to punish Titan Superflex with two quick three-pointers. Virtuoso led by 8 points with 3:18 remaining. Titan Superflex then made another go at it behind Roberto, Reyes and Mamaradlo to cut the lead to 1 with less than a minute left. Mamaradlo then made a crucial offensive rebound off of two Virtuoso players then put it back for a 1-point lead. Virtuoso failed to score on the following play and was forced to foul Reyes, who made both free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining for a 3-point lead, which Virtuoso failed to overcome in their next possession. |
| VIRTUOSO ELIMINATES XYLADECOR, 90-80 AUGUST 4, 2007 - Virtuoso continued its late meteoric rise in the tournament, eliminating down-on-its-luck Xyladecor 90-80, to move on to the semifinals phase of the 2nd Regular Tournament of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup.Xyladecor fell by the wayside after a sputtering performance in this game, which saw them miss 27 shots and 11 free throws. With things generally not going their way, they fell behind big in the 2nd half, tried to make a run at it in the last few minutes, but failed to complete the comeback with some botched offensive sets near the end of regulation.Andrew Ambatali and Alex Evangelista displayed some Maroon Pride as the UP stalwarts worked hand-in-hand in delivering the goods for their team. Ambatali led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor and 9-of-13 from the foul line, while also adding 13 rebounds. Evangelista orchestrated the Virtuoso attack while unloading 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.The backcourt tandem of Brian James Chiu and Jeff Gaw worked as decoys for this contest, but both still managed to dish out impressive performances. With Xyladecor’s defense geared to stop the volatile duo, Chiu and Gaw combined for 10 of their team’s 17 assists. Chiu had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to his name while Gaw also scored 14 and added 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.Vince Daulong was Xyladecor’s workhorse in this game, posting a double-double performance by way of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Paolo Olan, who twisted his ankle early in the game that resulted in limited mobility for the normally agile forward, managed to limp to 18 points and 4 rebounds. Joseph Raz chipped in 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Pankoy Santaromana and fellow shooter Kenneth Trinidad added 9 points apiece. Boxscores: Virtuoso (90) – Ambatali 31, Evangelista 27, Chiu 14, Gaw 14, Santiago 3, Tomeldan 1, Cabugayan 0 Xyladecor (80) – Daulong 20, Olan 18, Raz 16, Santaromana 9, Trinidad 9, Lopez 5, Capalla 3, R. Tan 0 DECORE OUTGUNS WALLGUARD TO MOVE ON TO SEMIS, 91-84 Decore had its 7 players take turns in carrying the scoring load throughout the game, outplaying Wallguard’s complete roster to fashion out a 91-84 win that propelled them into the final four.On the wrong end of an endless barrage of mismatches similar to power plays in ice hockey, Decore met wave after wave of fresh players from a very strong Wallguard contingent with grim determination, as they withstood 5 players scoring in double figures to carve out the victory. Wallguard was led by its twin towers, with Tennessee Ng compiling 18 points and 11 rebounds with two blocks, while Nats Francisco putting forth a similar double-double effort with 18 points and 10 boards. Simon Mangio and Neil Del Castillo each scored 12 points, with Mangio connecting on 2-of-4 three pointers and Del Castillo making 2-of-3. Mangio also added 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals to his line, with Del Castillo pulling down 5 rebounds. Kelvin De Chavez had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals despite playing with a hamstring injury. The calm center of the Decore storm was Randy Go, who broke the game wide open in the 3rd quarter, turning a slim 4 point lead into a big 19 point bubble with 5 booming threes in the period. Ronnie Combo and Anatolie Amper also blasted a trey each to break Wallguard’s back. Go added another crucial three pointer in the last two minutes to douse cold water into a fiery Wallguard rally. He finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Edison Lim had another stellar performance with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while Tonton Gonzales delivered the goods in the 4th quarter, compiling 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Epoy del Rosario paced Decore with 26 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. |
| VIRTUOSO CLIMBS TO 4TH WITH WIN OVER WALLGUARD, 99-69 JULY 28, 2007 - Virtuoso buried Wallguard early in a heap of points and stayed in the lead for good as they came out big winners in their last game for the classification phase of the 2nd Tournament of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup.Never has the importance of every official ABU game played been more in clear display than in the very last playdate of the present tournament. With three more games to be played in the classifications phase, only unbeaten Titan Superflex is assured of ending up in their current slot in the standings, which is 1st place. All the other teams had to scrap for wins this particular night.Coming into the 7pm 1st game, Virtuoso was staring into an almost certain 6th place finish should they lose to cellar-dwelling Wallguard by virtue of a tie between the two teams and the winner-over-the-other rule. Instead, they found themselves in solo 4th place after the last game, enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over 5th place finisher Xyladecor. Virtuoso and Xyladecor actually ended up with 2-3 win loss slates, but Virtuoso’s 1-point win over Xyladecor in the very first game of the tournament shoved them on top of their hapless rivals, again because of the effect of the winner-over-the-other clause.Andrew Ambatali presided over the 30-point blowout party with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead his team. Brian James Chiu threw in 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Jeff Gaw collected 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. John Santiago, who set the tone for his team by scoring 7 straight points in the 1st quarter, springing them to an early 19-10 lead, played a big game by finishing with 14 points. Tennessee Ng led Wallguard with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Joma Meonada chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Joel Ratuita compiled 11 points and 12 rebounds. Boxscores: Virtuoso (99) – Ambatali 25, Chiu 18, Gaw 17, Santiago 14, Evangelista 11, K. Uy 6, Tomeldan 4, Cabugayan 4 Wallguard (69) – Ng 27, Meonada 17, Ratuita 11, Del Castillo 7, Mangio 7, Mabuhay 0 DECORE FIVE TRIPS NO. 1 TITAN SUPERFLEX, 86-84 With only five players suited up for an all-important game against then-unbeaten Titan Superflex, Decore needed enough juice to assure themselves of a twice-to-beat advantage in the Wildcard round. But with 10 players and the full complement of the best team in the tournament present for this one, spectators were lazily lounging in the stands, certain of the massacre they were about to witness. Decore roused them from their stupor and scored an improbable 86-84 upset in a nailbiter of a game over Tournament leader Titan Superflex, 86-84.Titan Superflex looked to stomp on Decore early, as they jumped out to an 11-0 lead. But as if to show an early indication as to what the game will eventually become, Edison Lim promptly buried a 3-pointer from the right flank to jumpstart Decore’s motor. Lim, along with teammates Randy Go, Ronnie Combo, Epoy del Rosario and Tonton Gonzales, then engaged Titan Superflex in a slugfest that lasted through the very last minute of the match. Decore overhauled the deficit in the 2nd quarter, and then matched their opponents blow by each agonizing blow to hold on.Trailing by 1 with less than 2 minutes left, Go found Combo underneath the basket for an unmolested shot to grab the lead at 79-78. They would extend that lead to three in the last minute, but Dunhill Villaruel connected on a big trey to tie the score at 81. Lim then scored on a streaking layup to make it 83-81. Both teams then exchanged crucial free throws to settle the score, with Go converting on his last 2 to make it 86-81 with 9 seconds left. Lim had a big game with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, making clutch baskets and defensive gems. Go lorded over the boards with 16 rebounds on top of scoring 17 points and handing out 6 assists. Ross Reyes had a monster game with 29 points, 21 rebounds and 3 assists for Titan Superflex. Villaruel finished with 17 points and 4 assists. Boxscores: Decore (86) – del Rosario 30, E. Lim 22, Go 17, Gonzales 15, Combo 2 Titan Superflex (84) – Reyes 29, Villaruel 17, Mamaradlo 13, Roberto 8, Baldovino 8, Tattao 4, Fernando 3, Clemena 2, Ubina 0 SKIMKOTE SHOOTS DOWN XYLADECOR, 77-65 Riding on a 2-game winning streak and on the cusp of gaining a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals on top of a bye for the top 2 finishers, Xyladecor looked to complete its resurgence in the 2nd Tournament by winning this final game and grab their reward. Skimkote is not having any of that, however. Displaying offensive proficiency and defensive chemistry, Skimkote shot down Xyladecor from the possible 2nd spot all the way down to 5th place to bag 2nd place for themselves, 77-65. Going into the game with a 3-1 record, Skimkote was in danger of finishing below Xyladecor in the event of a loss in this game, for that would mean a tie between the two teams at 3 wins against 2 losses. Xyladecor then would get the higher final position had they won this one. It would never come to fruition, it turned out, as the 12 point win propelled Skimkote to 4-1, their only loss coming from Titan Superflex, who also finished the tournament’s initial round with a 4-1 slate. Richard Ortiz led the attack for Skimkote, by way of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Co played a terrific game in highly productive stints off the bench, as he finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Mark Soriquez played the fireman’s role as his fastbreak layups helped stamp out embers of every rally that Xyladecor tried to start, to finish with 11 points and 3 assists. Joseph Gaytano provided the veteran presence on the defensive end, as he helped stymie the offensive sets laid out by Xyladecor, while contributing 10 points and 11 rebounds. Vince Daulong notched 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to lead his team. Pankoy Santaromana gave 16 points and 8 rebounds to their cause, with Paolo Olan adding 15 points and 8 rebounds. |
| XYLADECOR OUTRUNS DECORE FOR SHOT AT 2ND PLACE, 79-70 JULY 21, 2007 - Xyladecor, behind solid inside play and a dangerous fastbreak game, zoomed to its 2nd straight win and a chance to grab 2nd place with one play date to go in the 2nd Tournament of the 2007 ABU-Boysen Cup by upending Decore 79-70.Relying on the strong inside play of Vince Daulong and Paolo Olan, the steady and timely outside shooting of Pankoy Santaromana and Kenneth Trinidad, punctuated by a searing fast break game from Joseph Raz, and Xyladecor suddenly found themselves in position to steal 2nd place and an outright semifinals seat with a twice-to-beat advantage.Languishing at the cellar and tied with a 0-2 record before their game against Wallguard last week, Xyladecor employed a similar formula in subduing Decore. Starting fast out of the gates and maintaining consistency throughout then displaying composure in the endgame, they escaped a valiant effort by Decore, who twice erased 20-plus point leads in the game.Daulong and Olan pounced early on Decore’s undersized frontline as they raced to an early 9-0 lead. Raz added to the pressure as he outran Decore’s backcourt, then Santaromana and Trinidad capped an amazing run that saw them go up by 24 points in the 2nd quarter.Decore trimmed the deficit to 13 early in the 3rd, until a fresh wave of points came from Xyladecor’s starting five that put the lead back up to 21.A desperate run near the end engineered by Tonton Gonzales, Randy Go and Melvin Patawaran overhauled the lead down to 7, but that was the closest they would get as Epoy del Rosario bungled two important charities then fouled on the rebound play off his 2nd miss that gave Santaromana 2 freethrows that all but sealed the win. Boxscores: SKIMKOTE BURIES WALLGUARD DEEPER WITH 87-78 WIN Skimkote found many players willing to step up to fill in the scoring gap that Ong left, but still needed every bit of contribution and each break in the game to escape a winless Wallguard team fighting for dear life. Fighting tooth and nail in every possession and every defensive assignment, Wallguard managed to stay with Skimkote for 38 and ½ minutes before succumbing to Skimkote’s superior execution down the stretch. Richard Ortiz led Skimkote with 25 points and 18 rebounds, pounding the ball inside when he’s not launching three pointers, which he shot with proficiency in this game, going 4 of 8. Elmor Manalili had a big game playing wide receiver as Skimkote kept finding him giving up rebounding position for a lead up court for unmolested fastbreak layups on his way to 15 points. Mark Soriquez also stepped up his game as he gave an impressive performance in compiling 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Chris Co and Joseph gaytano delivered telling blows in the endgame as they preserved the win with timely plays down the stretch. Gaytano had 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals while Co chipped in 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tennessee Ng led Wallguard with 18 points and 12 rebunds. Simon Mangio scored 15 points and added 4 rebounds and 5 assists in his first game back for Wallguard. Joel Ratuita had 15 points and 8 rebounds while Nats Francisco had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Boxscores: TITAN SUPERFLEX EXTENDS VIRTUOSO’S LOSS STREAK, 69-65 Ross Reyes starred in Titan Superflex’s 4th straight win as he uncorked 26 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jun Roberto once again provided guidance for his team as he dictated the tempo on offense and defense as well by dishing out 10 assists and pocketing 3 steals along with 14 points. It was actually a back-and-forth battle of attrition between two of the more talent-laden squads in the tournament. Virtuoso, however, after scoring a pulsating 1-point victory in their very first match, fell into the habit of crumbling down the important stretches of close games, perhaps aggravated by calls not going their way in the closing moments of matches. Brian James Chiu finally found his scoring touch by scoring 25 points to lead his team, picking up 5 rebounds and 5 assists along the way. Jeff Gaw gamely played the attacking guard assignment as he slashed and crashed inside time and again to finish with 16 points. Andrew Ambatali got 12 points and 11 rebounds in a steady double-double outing while Alex Evangelista contributed 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as his team’s main facilitator on the floor. It was Manny Fernando’s troops that displayed steadiness and relentlessness, however, as they trounced Virtuoso off the boards, 52-34. Despite the big disparity, Virtuoso found a way to stick close to Titan Superflex by shooting more proficiently from the floor. The game was still up for grabs until the waning seconds until a questionable offensive foul on Chiu while shooting a 3-pointer sealed Virtuoso’s fate. Boxscores: |
| TITAN SUPERFLEX OVERCOMES SKIMKOTE, 92-85 JULY 14, 2007 - The third playdate of the 2nd Tournament for the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup saw two unbeaten teams collide early, with both Titan Superflex and Skimkote riding high on two straight convincing victories. Only one can come out on top of the eliminations, and Titan Superflex scuttled their opponents for the early lead with an impressive 92-85 conquest of Skimkote.Amazingly, Titan Superflex did the feat without their prized center Ross Reyes and perhaps the steral of the draft in rookie Eric Baldovino. Left with a frontline wanting of what Skimkote has paraded in this game, Titan Superflex upped the tempo and shot the ball proficiently to leave the other team in its wake. Catching fire early in the contest was Dunhill Villaruel, who discombobulated Skimkote’s defense by shooting 7-of-12 from three-point distance. Villaruel got his 2nd 31-point game this tournament to lead all scorers .Titan Superflex raced to a 30-23 advantage at the end of the 1st quarter and never looked back. With Jun Roberto at the helm, supported by the quiet but effective contributions of Allen Gamallo and Jojit Ubina, Titan Superflex sustained the attack all throughout. Roberto nearly recorded a triple double with 16 points, 8 assists and 8 steals, while Gamallo had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Ubina finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds , 4 assists and 4 steals.Richard Ortiz led Skimkote with 21 points and 12 rebounds, despite playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. Joseph Gaytano kept his team in the game with 18 points and 16 rebounds, scoring on at least 6 offensive putbacks. Lester Ong added 15 points and 10 rebounds while Elmor Manalili and Jay De Guzman scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.Boxscores: Titan Superflex (92) – Villaruel 31, Roberto 16, Gamallo 16, Ubina 10, Mamaradlo 8, Tattao 4, Clemena 4, Fernando 3, Skimkote (85) – Ortiz 21, Gaytano 18, Ong 15, Manalili 13, De Guzman 10, R. Chua 4, Madrelejos 2, Soriquez 2, Beltran 0DECORE COMEBACK FRUSTRATES VIRTUOSO, 78-73 Decore decided to put a sluggish 1st quarter start behind them and dug deep late in the game to get significantly more mileage from their players to hack out a 78-73 win over Virtuoso. Alex Evangelista orchestrated an attack that netted a flood of points as he got the frontline of Michael Tomeldan, Ver Balderosa, Kenneth Uy and Andrew Ambatali in the groove to pound Decore’s undersized frontline. They finished the 1st quarter on a 25-9 high, threatening to break the game wide open. It turned out that Virtuoso’s balanced scoring would be matched by Decore in the next three quarters. Randy Go changed the complexion of the game with booming triples all over the floor. This opened up the lane for his teammates, as they quickly closed the gap to 6 at halftime. Go scored the majority of his 26 points in this stretch, while sparking an inspired defensive uprising with 6 steals. Virtuoso matched the defensive intensity in the 2nd half, as their frontline held up for most of the 3rd quarter to control the scoring. Their frontline battled and grappled for rebounds and loose balls, with Pablo Cabugayan adding to the pressure on Decore’s players, stripping Decore’s Epoy del Rosario of the ball four times and once stealing the ball to prevent a fastbreak. Tonton Gonzales and Melvin Patawaran were on another level in the 4th quarter, however. Gonzales and Patawaran combined for 28 points, most of them in the 4th, to put some distance between the two teams late. Patawaran scored 8 points in the last two and a half minutes, while Gonzales provided the energy and spark while playing without relief. Ronnie Combo came in and disrupted BJ Chiu into his lowest output in a long while of just 13 points, while handing out 7 assists of his own. XYLADECOR PROLONGS WALLGUARD’S WOES, 70-58 Getting significant contributions from Vince Daulong, Paolo Olan, Joseph Raz and Pankoy Santaromana, Xyladecor jumped to a slim 1st quarter lead, 19-15. Daulong paced all scorers with 21 points, while adding 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Olan was his able frontline partner with contributions of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists. Raz ran rings around Wallguard’s tall fronline on his way to 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Santaromana added 9 points and 3 rebounds. Wallguard capitalized on their taller lineup, getting a huge rebounding edge at 52-46. Amazingly, they had more offensive boards than defensive boards, as they pulled down 27 from their own basket and only 25 on the other end. Tennessee Ng grabbed 10 of his 15 rebounds on the offensive end on his way to 18 points. Joseph Ratuita had 6 offensive rebounds to compile 16 points and 11 boards. Nats Francisco had 5 offensive rebounds and 7 defensive boards. Joma Meonada added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Wallguard missed 13 shots from the free throw line, a stat that could have prevented Xyladecor from breaking away towards the endgame. Although Xyladecor made only 4 freethrows , they only had fewer attempts at 11 to Wallguard’s 15. Wallguard’s shooting from the field was also at a poor 23-of-63 from inside the arc and an atrocious 0-of-9 behind it. Adding to Wallguard’s woes is the hamstring injury sustained by Kelvin De Chavez early in the contest. Boxscores: |
| DECORE OUTLASTS WALLGUARD FOR 1ST WIN, 86-71 JULY 7, 2007 - Decore played on raw and pure energy for 40 minutes, staying with their taller opponents throughout the game then managed to break away in the endgame to bag their first victory over luckless Wallguard, 86-71.Wallguard, having the luxury of parading their dreaded twin towers Nats Francisco and Tennessee Ng for the first time, looked to wear down Decore and rebound from their loss last week. With Joel Ratuita added to their starting frontline, then Kelvin De Chavez and Joma Meonada combining to penetrate the opposing defense, Wallguard had Decore on the ropes early and were poised to have their way with them .Two early fouls called on Ng, however, changed the complexion of the ballgame.With the energized play of Decore’s small lineup relegating Ng to the bench due to early foul trouble, Wallguard found themselves playing a quicker pace than they would have liked, surrendering the lead to Decore then falling behind by as much as 10 early in the half. Edison Lim presided over the run in this stretch, finding holes in Wallguard’s defense and converting on transition baskets to combine with Tonton Gonzales, Randy Go and Melvin Patawaran who all connected on the run and gun game encouraged by Serge Chua. Wallguard quickly regained their bearings, however, as De Chavez, Meonada and Neil del Castillo quickly overhauled the lead with a fastbreaking attack of their own to close the half.Gonzales, though, owned the second half, as he carried over his hot shooting in the first half with more mid-range bombers, barreling drives and deft passes to infuse Decore with adrenaline in the 2nd half. Gonzales recorded a near triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists to go with 3 steals. Anatolie Amper also played big in the endgame, scoring on crucial baskets and pulled off rebounds and looseball recoveries to help them secure the win. Boxscores: Decore (86) – Gonzales 27, Go 19, Patawaran 12, E. Lim 12, del Rosario 8, Amper 6, Wong 2, Chua 0 Wallguard (71) – De Chavez 21, Meonada 17, Francisco 15, Del Castillo 8, Ng 7, Ratuita 2, Mabuhay 1 TITAN SUPERFLEX RUNS OVER XYLADECOR, 75-54 Titan Superflex caught Xyladecor on a very bad shooting night while dishing out a waxing hot performance of their own to easily come away with a 75-54 win for a 2-0 record.Xyladecor combined for a horrible 28 out of 81 shooting while allowing Titan Superflex to score on 35 field goals out of 72 attempts, to shoot themselves in the foot and give the win to their more energized opponents.Ross Reyes played his first game in the tournament and although obviously a bit over his playing weight, still managed to record a double-double to lead his team. He scored 14 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and swatted away 3 shots. Leo Mamaradlo also had a rousing debut in the 2nd tournament as he plowed and shot his way to 13 points and 6 rebounds. Mamaradlo added toughness to an already beefy Titan Superflex line-up, giving Manny Fernando the luxury of playing a big scoring guard. Jun Roberto was consistent in guiding his team on the floor as he also dictated the tempo of the defense, scoring 12 points and collecting 5 assists and 5 steals in the process. Steve Tattao combined with impressive rookie Eric Baldovino, both scoring 11 points apiece with Tattao pulling down 11 rebounds and Baldovino 12. Pankoy Santaromana was the lone accurate gunman for Xyladecor in this game, leading his team with 16 points on 8 of 13 shooting. Vince Daulong played with a lot of energy to give out an impressive performance of 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Paolo Olan had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Joseph Raz finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Boxscores: Battling through several deadlocks and lead changes in a very close game, Skimkote’s bench drove the win home in the crucial moments. There was the short jumper by Mark Soriquez in the lane off a no-look pass from Rudy Beltran, giving them a 3-point cushion with 4:41 left just as Skimkote was in the midst of a searing rally. There was Chris Co twice driving down the lane to score four of his 9 crucial points near the end of regulation. There was George Madrelejos forcing four offensive foul calls on their opponents. There was Richard Chua’s runner down the lane to douse cold water on another impending string of baskets from the other team, and Elmor Manalili repeatedly scoring on fastbreak layups. Then came Jay De Guzman’s pressure on the receiver on a potential game-tying play mapped out by Virtuoso. Joseph Gaytano also delivered two gems in the endgame, first corralling an offensive rebound in a forest of players then pulling off a difficult reverse layup underneath. Then after securing another tough offensive rebound in the succeeding play, he went up in the air and faked the followup only to pass at the very last moment to Lester Ong for an uncontested layup. The dynamic duo of Ong and Richard Ortiz continued to form the spearhead of the attack with 17 and 21 points respectively, with Ong adding 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and Ortiz registering an additional 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jeff Gaw led the attack for Virtuoso with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Brian James Chiu scored 19 points despite an injured foot, while Andrew Ambatali and Alex Evangelista contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively. |
| VIRTUOSO NIPS XYLADECOR IN EXCITING OPENER, 74-73 JUNE 30, 2007 - The ABU Boysen 2nd Regular Tournament reeled off to a rousing start with a hotly contested game in the form of Virtuoso stealing a win from Xyladecor in the waning seconds.In a fiercely-fought battle of deadlocks and changing leads,Virtuoso found a way to erase a late 3-point deficit then went on to execute in their final play. Down 73-70 after Vince Daulong corralled a missed free throw and banged it back in, Virtuoso looked finished with under a minute remaining. But Alex Evangelista, back from leave in the previous tournament, swished in his second triple for the night to quickly knot the count at 73. Xyladecor tried to counter in their next offensive but failed to execute under the pressure of Virtuoso’s physical defense.Virtuoso then moved the ball around until they found Jeff Gaw ready to make his move underneath the basket which resulted in a shooting foul with only 3.6 seconds remaining on the clock. Gaw made the first free throw then missed the second. Xyladecor got the rebound and tried a desperation drive towards the basket but failed, as they couldn’t get off a shot on time.Brian James Chiu still led all scorers despite being hobbled by a sprained ankle, coming away with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 steals. Gaw attacked the hoop relentlessly en route to 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Evangelista played an efficient game, going for 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.Paolo Olan led Xyladecor with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting, to go with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Pankoy Santaromana was scorching hot on 9-of-13 shooting to collect 18 points with 4 rebounds. Joseph Raz scattered 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Vince Daulong struck for 12 points and 8 rebounds.Boxscores: Virtuoso (74) – Chiu 22, Gaw 21, Evangelista 19, Tomeldan 10, Santiago 2, Cabugayan 0 Xyladecor (73) – Olan 20, Santaromana 18Raz 14, Daulong 12, Capalla 5, R. Tan 4, Trinidad 0 SKIMKOTE GUNS DOWN DECORE, 89-81 Lacking in frontcourt depth but not in heart and guile, Decore found a way to keep within striking distance of their more fancied opponent. Leading by 8 points late in the 4th quarter, Skimkote twice found themselves within one possession from relinquishing the lead and perhaps the contest. But with the game very much still hanging in the balance, returning ace forward Lester Ong twice stuck a dagger into Decore’s defense, the last one off an off-balanced, contested runner in the lane, pushing their lead to 5 with only 42 seconds remaining. Decore then could not convert on several 3-point attempts, forcing them to foul after their misses to let their opponents pad the final score from the free throw line. All of Mark Soriquez’s troops chipped in valuable contribution as he masterfully shuffled his players throughout the game. Ortiz struck hardest for Skimkote, scoring 31 big points while pulling down 12 rebounds to lead his team’s production. Ong added 18 points and 8 rebounds with 2 assists and 3 steals, while Chris Co put forth 11 points and 8 rebounds. Elmor Manalili also played a very good game with 9 points and 4 rebounds. Joseph Gaytano and Jay De Guzman combined for 12 points and 17 rebounds while playing lockdown defense all throughout. Rudy Beltran, George Madrelejos and Richard Chua also had their moments in turning the tide in favor of their team in crucial moments of the game. Tonton Gonzales and Edison Lim kept their team’s hope alive for much of the game, thriving on their underdog status to dish out 16 points apiece. Gonzales added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, while Lim added 5 rebounds. Melvin Patawaran had 9 points and 6 rebounds to aid his team. Boxscores: TITAN SUPERFLEX STRIKES DOWN WALLGUARD, 88-79 Fielding in just 6 players into the contest and without their star center and shooting guard to boot, Titan Superflex managed with what they had and rode with it all the way to run down a taller but slower Wallguard team. Dunhill Villaruel hosted the festivities for his team, as they struck quickly to erect a double-digit lead early. Villaruel converted on an array of fastbreak conversions and drives to the basket then added several three-point bombs to lead all scorers for the game with 30 points to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Serving as catalyst to Titan Superflex’s attack is wily veteran Jun Roberto, refusing to let his teammates feel inferior about being undermanned. Roberto had his motor running all game long, initiating fastbreaks, forcing turnovers, setting up his teammates and at the same time setting the fast-paced tone that they played. He laid out 17 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists as the groundwork for his team’s success. Titan Superflex also had in them a very good rookie in Eric Baldovino, who went for 18 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks in his ABU debut. Allen Gamallo had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals to fortify his team’s efforts. Kelvin De Chavez led the way for Wallguard as he got 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting, to go with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Joel Ratuita played an impressive game as he fought his way to 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Joma Meonada scored 12 points for Wallguard while Tennessee Ng and Ronald Motus added 9 and 8 points, respectively. Boxscores: |
| SKIMKOTE CAPTURES 2007 ABU BOYSEN CUP TITLE IN 92-91 CLIFFHANGER OVER VIRTUOSO MAY 26, 2007 - At the shootaround before the Championship game, Skimkote, the No. 2 team at the end of two rounds of eliminations, measured their opponents from across the floor: No. 4 Virtuoso, unlikely conquerors of the high and mighty No. 1 team Wallguard just a few days earlier, daring to come to this championship game armed with only six players. Six players to withstand their transition game and pressing defense, a paltry six players they’re raring to run to the ground on their way towards claiming the prestigious Champion’s trophy.Two hours later, they were hanging on for dear life and were at the edge of defeat, pushed to the brink by the same team that displayed the will to survive in two Win-Or-Go-Home contests to qualify for this championship game.With barely a minute left, Skimkote found themselves trailing behind Virtuoso by 4 points, after back-to-back three pointers by Virtuoso stalwart Ross Reyes.In a game that Skimkote led 95% of the way and had them ahead by 14 early in the 4th quarter, Skimkote summoned everything they had as a team. Combined with late-game heroics from Brian James Chiu and Team Captain Kelvin De Chavez to subdue a Virtuoso squad that didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words “overmatched”, “undermanned”, “yield” and “surrender”, Skimkote pulled off a 92-91 nailbiter to bag the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup.Virtuoso, suiting up only 6 players for the Championship Game, almost pulled off the monumental upset over a team with younger and more athletic players, a deeper bench and the tools to win games like these.But Ross Reyes and Vince Daulong, perhaps the best frontline partnership that the ABU has seen in years, gave Virtuoso a solid, dependable core that gave them the chance to win despite the long odds. Combined with their solid play and the wily playmaking schemes of Manny Fernando; Melvin Patawaran, Jojit Ubina and Jeff Gaw struck at crucial parts of the contest to keep within striking distance of Skimkote. Skimkote appeared the heavy favorite right from the opening tip, enjoying several 6- and 8-point leads and tried to break away from their pesky opponents. Virtuoso, however, kept hanging on the heels of their favored opponent, keeping the deficit manageable just as they did when they defeated Wallguard in their last two games. At the start of the 4th quarter, Skimkote finally hit their stride as they erected a 14-point lead early in the payoff period, as Chiu and De Chavez broke loose from Virtuoso’s game-long sticky defense. They soon found out that the harder you kick at Virtuoso, the harder they kick back. Reyes and Daulong wore down their opponents with inside incursions to the lane, Gaw and Ubina hit crucial three point bombs and Patawaran stuck to Chiu like glue to knot the count at 85-all with over 3 minutes remaining. De Chavez promptly recovered the lead with a 2-pointer but Ross Reyes, who up until that point in the game was a dominant inside force, launched a surprise three-pointer that propelled his team ahead, 88-87, time down to 2:32. After a missed attempt on the other end by Skimkote, Reyes found himself with a good look for another three and didn’t disappoint: with another booming three-pointer, Virtuoso was up 91-87, time down to 1:42. It was here that De Chavez decided to put his team’s fate in his hands. With Chiu incessantly hounded by Gaw and Patawaran, De Chavez let go of a long three to cut the deficit to 1 with a little over a minute remaining. Then in the ensuing play, De Chavez stole the ball then shuffled it to Chiu who got fouled driving to the basket. Chiu rattled the first one in, then calmly sank the second for the 92-91 count. Virtuoso, with one final chance to seize the championship, failed to produce a decent attempt in the final 22 seconds to finally cave in after a brilliant run in the last two weeks. And Skimkote, known for subduing teams with their offensive firepower, relied on one defensive stop to preserve the win. Chiu’s hard-earned 38 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 steals led Skimkote. De Chavez capped his brilliant performance with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Reyes paced Virtuoso with 30 points, 21 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Vince Daulong had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Patawaran and Gaw, aside from playing stifling defense, contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively, with Patawaran adding 6 rebounds and 2 assists and Gaw chipping in 11 and 2. Jojit Ubina played like the savvy veteran that he is, en route to 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Ubina was also responsible for fouling out Jay De Guzman and Jeff Selecios on two big fishing expeditions. Selecios gave a solid effort for Skimkote before fouling out in the last two minutes, scoring 8 points and pulling down 9 rebounds with 3 steals. He teamed up with Joel Ratuita inside, who also got 8 points to go with his 4 rebounds. De Guzman became a victim of inept officiating as he got disqualified on two consecutive personal fouls near the end of the 3rd quarter, his fourth coming by way of a dubious blocking foul and his 5th on the technical that was assessed to him after reacting to the bad call. He contributed his usual hustle and defensive intensity while scoring 7 points before prematurely leaving the game. No.3 team Decore claimed the 3rd Place trophy over Wallguard in the 1st game. Boxscores: |
| 2007 ABU BOYSEN CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SET ON MAY 26 MAY 23, 2007 - The Architect’s Basketball Union, together with Major Sposor Boysen Paints, recently concluded the semifinals phase of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup. The battle for 3rd place and the Championship Game is will be played at the CCP Gym in Sta. Mesa on May 26.Virtuoso completed the upset of No. 1 team Wallguard after Skimkote disposed of Decore in the other semifinal pairing to arrange the Finals cast after two rounds of elimination among 6 teams.Skimkote (no. 2) buried Decore (no. 3) last May 19 behind BJ Chiu’s 31 points and Jay De Guzman’s 20-point performance.Virtuoso (no. 4), bannered by Vince Daulong and Ross Reyes, defeated Wallguard last Saturday and again last Tuesday to arrange the winner-take-all championship game.The battle for 3rd Place between Decore and Wallguard is set at 7pm, after which Skimkote and Virtuoso square off for the Championship trophy at 8:30 PM.Sponsored by Boysen, both games will be played at the CCP Gym in Sta. Mesa. |
| VIRTUOSO COMPLETES UPSET OF WALLGUARD, 87-80 MAY 22, 2007 - Virtuoso bucked all odds and managed to topple the No. 1 seed out of the finals with an 87-80 win over Wallguard. Marking only the 2nd time in ABU history that the no. 4 team defeated the no. 1 team twice to advance to the finals since ABU adapted the twice-to-beat final four format, Virtuoso also did it in astounding fashion, outplaying a deeper, heftier, taller and more athletic Wallguard line-up. With two of their starting five unable to make it to the game, Virtuoso played with fire all throughout and matched Wallguard’s advantage with intensity and hustle. For the 2nd straight game, Wallguard failed to find their fastbreaking game and their shooting touch as they were unable to break away from Virtuoso. Wallguard was also a woeful 17-of-32 from the charity stripe, as they failed to capitalize on early opportunities to go ahead. Mike Fernandez got the party started as he made 4 three-pointers to put Wallguard’s defense out-of-sync, on his way to 13 points for the night. Jojit Ubina also played big for Virtuoso, himself scoring 13 points on daredevil drives to the basket and converting 7 of 8 free throws. Vince Daulong led all scorers with 23 points, putting his stamp on this big playoff game, adding 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Ross Reyes matched his frontcourt partner’s performance with an equally imposing 21 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jeff Gaw played a 2nd straight superb game with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Wallguard never got going in the 2nd half as the game’s pace was almost drawn to a halt with a slew of fouls on reaches at the defensive end and charging fouls when they got the ball. They were in the penalty early in all 4 quarters. Wallguard was led by Leo Mamaradlo with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Ed Casares had 14 points and 4 rebounds, while Nats Francisco had 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Epoy del Rosario, Wallguard’s leading scorer for the whole tournament, chose this all-important game to play a 5-point stinker, choking on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 from the line. Wallguard will play Decore for 3rd Place on Saturday, May 26 at 7pm, while Virtuso moves on to take on Skimkote for the Championship game at 8:30Pm at the CCP Gym in Sta. Mesa. Boxscores: Virtuos (87) – Daulong 23, Reyes 21, Fernandez 13, Ubina 13, Gaw 12, Loyola 5, Fernando 0 Wallguard (80) - Mamaradlo 20, Casares 14, Francisco 11, Tattao 9, Gonzales 8, Raz 7, Villaruel 6, del Rosario 5, Balderosa 0 Back to Top |
| SKIMKOTE BEATS DECORE, 110-95, GRAB 1ST FINALS SEAT MAY 19, 2007 - Skimkote rode its solid rotation and steady play all the way to the finals of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup, beating Decore, 110-95, avoiding a potential do-or-die match-up. Mike Tomeldan did a masterful job of handling his wards, as he seemed to come up with the right set of players on the court to deliver the goods for Skimkote. Brian James Chiu as expected was in tip-top playoff form, leading the charge with a near triple-double performance. Chiu collected 31 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists as he ran circles around the defense thrown at him by Decore. Jay De Guzman provided the additional lift for Skimkote as he scored 20 points on only 10 shot attempts, capping a very efficient performance that lifted his team to victory. Neil Del Castillo provided additional spark to Skimkote’s offense as he added 13 points, confounding Decore’s defense with timely baskets that stymied their comeback attempts. Jeff Selecios and Kelvin De Chavez both contributed 12 points to Skimkote’s cause, with Selecios adding 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks, while De Chavez had 5 rebounds and 2 steals to add to his line. Decore was very much in the contest for most of the 1st half, as they seemed to have found a way to keep up with Skimkote’s fast-paced execution. Richard Ortiz went at Skimkote’s defense and dished out a monster game with 40 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. Jun Roberto gave an impressive performance with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals while Simon Mangio shot his way to 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. The trio’s efforts would fall short, however, as Skimkote’s depth and youth trumped Decore’s experience, propelling them to a big 20-point bubble in the 3rd quarter that Decore never recovered from. Decore only had 7 players suiting up for their playoff encounter with Skimkote. Boxscores: Skimkote (105) – Chiu 31, De Guzman 20, Del Castillo 13, Selecios 12, De Chavez 12, Ratuita 8, E. Lim 8, Motus 4, Tomeldan 2 Decore (95) - Ortiz 40, Roberto 21, Mangio 20, Santaromana 9, Tamase 5, Madrelejos 0, R. Tan 0VIRTUOSO FORCES DO-OR-DIE WITH WALLGUARD, 72-65 Virtuoso succeeded in forcing a winner-take-all game by defeating No. 1 Wallguard, 72-65, in the other semifinal pairing for the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup. The highly regarded Wallguard squad, winners of 9 out of 10 games in the eliminations, fell to a scrappy Virtuoso team that simply outworked them and made the plays when it mattered most. They need to win the rubber match set on Tuesday, May 22 at 7PM to avoid the stigma of being only the 2nd top-seeded team to fall to a 4th seed in the semifinals. For the 1st time throughout the whole tournament, Wallguard only had 2 players scoring in double-figures, as their vaunted multi-point scoring attack was disrupted by Virtuoso’s hustle and effort off the boards. Veterans Roy Punla and Melvin Patawaran, on the other hand, led Virtuoso, in dismantling Wallguard’s imposing frontline. Punla methodically broke down Wallguard’s wall of defenders by making the right plays at the right time, leading his team with 17 points and adding 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Punla scored on several incursions to the basket, completing several three-point plays that boosted his team’s morale. Patawaran scored some big baskets down the stretch to keep the game close in the dying minutes on his way to 14 points. Jeff Gaw came up big in the final minutes of the game as he made two crucial conversions amidst a Wallguard rally near the end of the game, after outworking opposing guards by seeming to be almost everywhere on the court on loose balls, rebounds and broken plays. Gaw had 8 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Vince Daulong had 16 points and 11 rebounds while Ross Reyes had 11 points and 15 rebounds for Virtuoso. Epoy del Rosario led Wallguard with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Joseph Raz had a scintillating 14-point night for Wallguard, while Nats Francisco kept the team together with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Boxscores: Virtuoso (72) – Punla 17, Daulong 16, Patawaran 14, Reyes 11, Gaw 8, Fernandez 3, Fernado 3, Ubina 0 Wallguard (65) – del Rosario 24, Raz 14, Francisco 7, Tattao 6, Gonzales 6, Balderosa 4, B. Tan 4, Villaruel 2 Back to Top |
| WALLGUARD DENIES DECORE CHANCE FOR NO. 2 SPOT, 77-72 MAY 12, 2007 - Wallguard avoided any complications that may arise between the top 3 teams in the standings by overcoming Decore, 77-72. With the no. 2 spot still up for grabs had Decore won and Skimkote fell in the last game of the final regular playdate of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup, Wallguard wore down Decore in the final period then held on in the dying minutes to get their 9th win in 10 games. With only six players from Wallguard and seven for Decore in attendance for the 1st game tussle, the two teams put up decent showings to make up for an exciting game. Decore buried Wallguard early with an avalanche of outside shots, most of them coming from Simon Mangio, who scattered 28 points for the ballgame, to put his team up by 11 early. Wallguard settled down to trim the lead to 6 at the end of the 1st quarter. Decore would not let up as Richard Ortiz, Pankoy Santaromana and George Madrelejos joined the fray. Ortiz got 21 points and 12 rebounds while Santaromana ended up with 11 points. Madrelejos, logging extended minutes in the absence of Kenneth Uy and Albert Tamase, hustled his way to 7 rebounds and 4 points while pestering Wallguard’s players inside. Decore held on for a 40-38 halftime lead. Wallguard then caught fire in the 3rd using their run-and-gun attack, with Leo Mamaradlo, Steve Tattao and Dunhill Villaruel connecting on transition baskets. With the lane being controlled by Nats Francisco’s 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, the trio broke away for 19, 17 and 8 points, respectively. Francisco also kept Wallguard in the game by connecting on several jump shots early to collect 10 points. Wallguard went up by 12 in the 4th and tried to play keep-away, but Decore trimmed the lead down to 1 with a Mike Pabulayan trey, with still a minute to play. Timely stops and free throw shooting saved Wallguard from collapsing all the way down the stretch. Boxscores: Wallguard (77) – del Rosario 21, Mamaradlo 19, Tattao 17, Francisco 10, Villaruel 8, Raz 2 Decore (72) – Mangio 28, Ortiz 21, Santaromana 11, Pabulayan 6, Madrelejos 4, R. Tan 2, S. Chua 0 VIRTUOSO TAKES OUT XYLADECOR, 103-95 Virtuoso booked the final semifinal seat by denying Xyladecor a crack at the no. 4 spot, 103-95. In a knockout game to determine the final cast in the semis on saturday, Virtuoso came out with more resolve to eliminate a Xyladecor team that failed to get it going to avoid elimination. Had Xyladecor won they would have been tied with Virtuoso on similar 4-6 records at the end of the eliminations, automatically sending them to the semis by virtue of their two wins over them. Virtuoso, however, had other plans, preserving their campaign by winning their 5th game in 10 games and setting up a semifinal pairing with Wallguard. Ross Reyes led all players for this game by compiling a marvelous statistical line of 33 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks. Melvin Patawaran, Jojit Ubina, Jeff Gaw and Vince Daulong provided valuable support by helping with the scoring load as they chipped in 15, 14, 13 and 11 points, respectively. The performance that proved to be the deciding factor, however, was the scorching shooting display conducted by Manny Fernando. With the score being close throughout the first 3 quarters, Fernando exploded for 4 big three-pointers bridging the 3rd and 4th quarters. Fernando fired 4 out of 5 from rainbow territory to push his team up by 20 points. He finished with 12 points for the contest. Xyladecor gallantly tried to close the gap, as they chipped away at the lead through the tenacity of Tennessee Ng, Andrew Ambatali, Joseph Gaytanao, Chris Co and Tristan Capalla. All five players scored in double-figures with Ng leading the way to the tune of 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks while Ambatali had 20 points and 8 rebounds. Gaytano and Co each scored 12 points with Gaytano adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals and Co 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Capalla had 10 points and 3 rebounds. Their efforts would fall short, however, as they ran out of time in regulation. Boxscores: Virtuoso (103) – Reyes 33, Patawaran 15, Ubina 14, Gaw 13, Fernando 12, Daulong 12, Fernandez 5 Xyladecor (95) – Ng 26, Ambatali 20, Gaytano 12, Co 12, Capalla 10, Manalili 6, Trinidad 5, Virgo 4, Molina 0SKIMKOTE TOPS TITAN SUPERFLEX IN 102-94 SHOOTOUT Skimkote engaged Titan Superflex in a scoring dogfight and managed to come out on top with a 102-94 win. In a game that turned out as a tune-up for Skimkote in preparation for the upcoming semifinals and the swan song for Titan Superflex and their rocky campaign in the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup, the spectators were treated to a shooting contest with the top scorers from both teams scoring 38 points each. Brian James Chiu, Skimkote’s resident accurate speed-shooter, got his 38 on 8 of 20 shooting from beyond the 3-point line and 7 of 11 inside it. He added 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals. Randy Go had a similar 8 of 20 clip from three-point distance and 6 of 11 inside and along the perimeter for his 38 points, to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Titan Superflex actually jumped ahead early and appeared to take control of the game as they led 24-14 going into the 2nd canto. Paolo Olan, Allen Gamallo and Mon Contreras starred in their early run as they poured in most of their points in the 1st half. Contreras finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Gamallo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, while Olan had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. They would fall behind 40-42 at the close of the half, as Jeff Selecios, Kelvin De Chavez, Edison Lim and Jay De Guzman found their rhythm. Skimkote widened the gap to 69-60 at the close of the 3rd period as their outside shooting started to click at the same time that Selecios established his dominance inside. De Chavez waxed hot with 22 points and 6 rebounds in support of Chiu. Selecios controlled the inside and came through with 19 points and 18 big rebounds. Edison Lim dished out yet another fine performance with 13 points and 3 rebounds of his own while Jay De Guzman finished with 10 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Boxscores: Skimkote (102) – Chiu 38, De Chaevz 22, Selecios 19, E. Lim 13, De Guzman 10 Titan Superflex (94) – Go 38, Contreras 17, Gamallo 13, Olan 12, Gonzaga 6, R. Chua 6, Santiago 2, Combo 0 Back to Top |
| SKIMKOTE EDGES XYLADECOR, 105-90, KEEP HOLD OF 2ND MAY 5, 2007 - Skimkote went ahead early and never looked back as they outplayed a depleted Xyladecor squad, 105-90. Playing without forwards Andrew Ambatali and Joseph Gaytano, Xyladecor fell prey to Skimkote’s hot shooting in the 1st quarter as they were outscored 28-12. It only got worse in the 2nd as Skimkote pulled away 55-37, then kept up their scoring to go up 79-58 entering the final period. Edison Lim provided a big boost to Skimkote’s offense, as he teamed up with Neil Del Castillo and Joel Ratuita in providing added firepower to Brian James Chiu and Kelvin De Chavez. Lim went a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range and 9-of-13 overall for 20 points to help pad their lead. Del Castillo also had a prolific scoring night as he went 3-of-5 from rainbow territory and 3-of-4 inside to finish the game with 15 points,3 rebounds and 3 assists. Ratuita completed a double-double effort as he chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds, with 5 of them coming from the offensive end. Brian James Chiu turned in 34 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists to spearhead the Skimkote attack, while Kelvin De Chavez had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Xyladecor tried to keep up with Skimkote for most of the night, gallantly led by ailing center Tennessee Ng. Ng, bothered by injuries to his ACL and PCL that limits his mobility, scored an impressive 36 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as he tried to make up for the holes in their frontline. The backcourt tandem of Elmor Manalili and Anatolie Amper supported Ng, as both guards scored 12 points. Manalili had 4 rebounds, while Amper had 2 assists and 2 steals to go with his 2 rebounds. Xyladecor also had 5 players in double figures to match Skimkote’s balanced scoring, as Kenneth Trinidad chipped in 11 points with 6 assists and 4 steals, while Chris Co finished with 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.Boxscores: Skimkote (105) – Chiu 34, E. Lim 20, De Chavez 16, Del Castillo 15, Ratuita 11, Selecios 7, Tomeldan 2 Xyladecor (90) – Ng 36, Amper 12, Manalili 12, Trinidad 11, Co 10, Molina 4, B. Uy 3, Capalla 2DECORE RUNS OVER TITAN SUPERFLEX, 95-77 Decore extended its winning run in the 2nd round as they pounced on Titan Superflex for a 95-77 win, their third straight and 5th overall, assuring them of a playoff berth in the semifinal round. The usual suspects were at the forefront of Decore’s attack, as Richard Ortiz handed in another stellar performance, filling the stat sheet with 35 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Ortiz repeatedly pounded on the defense of Titan Superflex, at times scoring at will and forcing the action over the opposing frontline. Simon Mangio had another good shooting night, as he uncorked 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting, adding 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Kenneth Uy had a big game for Decore, with a double-double performance of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Titan Superflex actually appeared to have Decore’s number, as they led big at the start of the game. A hot start by John Santiago, Allen Gamallo and Randy Go propelled them to an 8-0 lead that later was extended to 14-3. Santiago and Go opened up the defense with three-pointers as Gamallo attacked the hoop with the help of Richard Chua and Wilfred Gonzaga. Gamallo would finish the contest with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists to lead his team. Go scored 25 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, handed out 7 assists and plucked 2 steals in an impressive all-around performance. Santiago contributed 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Chua and Gonzaga chipped in 6 points each, with Chua pulling down 7 rebounds and Gonzaga snaring 9 caroms. Decore would quickly regroup, however, as they restored order with an early timeout. They came back with renewed resolve to avoid a repeat of their 1st-round loss to this same team, Titan Superflex’s lone win in the tournament so far.Boxscores: Decore (95) – Ortiz 35, Mangio 23, K. Uy 14, Roberto 9, Santaromana 8, R. Tan 4, S. Chua 2, Pabulayan 0 Titan Superflex (77) – Gamallo 27, Go 25, Santiago 11, R. Chua 6, Gonzaga 6, Combo 2WALLGUARD WINS OVER UNDERMANNED VIRTUOSO, 82-64 Wallguard cemented its possession of the No. 1 spot in the Final Four as they took advantage of a severely undermanned Virtuoso squad, 82-64, and enter the semifinals with an assured twice-to-beat advantage. Wallguard also opened the door for Xyladecor with the win, as Virtuoso is now forced into a do-or-die match for the final playoff spot this coming Saturday. Although Xyladecor lost in the 1st game and went down in the standings with a 3-6 card, Wallguard’s win gave them an opportunity to gain an outright semifinals berth as Virtuoso stayed put at 4-5. Xyladecor only needs to beat Virtuoso in the final game date in the 2nd round to propel themselves into the Final Four. Virtuoso lost by default to Xyladecor in the 1st round. Wallguard struggled for the most part but still coughed up another balanced scoring effort from its players, as 5 players scored in double figures for their 8th win in 9 games. Epoy del Rosario had 18 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists to lead Wallguard’s balanced attack, as Joma Meonada followed with 16 points and 3 rebounds. Steve Tattao came back after a three-game absence to give 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in a solid effort. Nats Francisco was his usual intimidating presence in the lane as he cashed in 12 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists while altering a lot of shot attempts from Virtuoso. Bryan Tan also came back after a long absence to chip in 11 points and 3 rebounds, while Ver Balderosa banged in 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in a very efficient game for Wallguard. Virtuoso missed the services of Ross Reyes, Lawrence Erfe and Jojit Ubina, as Vince Daulong only played limited minutes due to a knee injury. Mike Fernandez led his team with 19 points on a scorching 4-of-7 clip from 3-point distance. Roy Punla had 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Melvin Patawaran gave 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. Jeff Gaw rounded up a gallant Virtuoso effort with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Boxscores: Wallguard (82) – del Rosario 18, Meonada 16, Tattao 13, Francisco 12, B. Tan 11, Balderosa 8, mamaradlo 4 Virtuoso (64) – Fernandez 19, Punla 18, Patawaran 14, Gaw 11, Fernado 5, Daulong 2 Back to Top |
| DECORE DOWNS SKIMKOTE 83-74, CLOSES IN ON 2ND SPOT APRIL 21, 2007 - Decore solidified their playoff positioning with their 2nd straight win in the 2nd round on an 83-74 victory, more importantly narrowing Skimkote’s lead for 2nd place to just one game for the twice-to-beat advantage. Decore once again relied on the prolific shooting of Simon Mangio and Pankoy Santaromana to put them ahead late in the game, then rode on the guidance of Richard Ortiz and Jun Roberto in the endgame to secure their 4th win in 8 games. Mangio was red-hot with an 11 of 17 shooting clip en route to 26 points while Santaromana was equally impressive on 8 of 16 shooting to finish with 17 points. Ortiz was his usual consistent self as he delivered 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals to stabilize his squad all throughout the contest. Roberto added 9 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on top of his steadying presence under pressure down the stretch. Decore had the luxury of a sizeable double-digit lead late in the game when Skimkote employed a trapping defense that bothered Decore’s offensive execution. An inadvertent elbow to the face received by Skimkote stalwart Brian James Chiu in the waning minutes in an attempt to steal the ball appeared to have vanquished the hopes of his team as he was forced to leave the game. Chiu had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists at that point with Decore still leading by 15. Kelvin De Chavez, however, rose to the occasion as he hit three straight booming triples to bring the lead down to 6 with still close to 2 minutes left in the clock. But Decore protected their ensuing possessions and held on to the win with terrific time management and steady free throw shooting. De Chavez compiled 18 points and 5 rebounds, 11 of them coming near the end of regulation. Jeff Selecios added 13 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals for Skimkote. Boxscores: Decore (83) – Mangio 26, Ortiz 20, Santaromana 17, Roberto 9, K. Uy 7, Tamase 4, R. Tan 0, Madrelejos 0, S. Chua 0, Pabulayan 0 Skimkote (74) – Chiu 23, De Chavez 18, Selecios 13, Del Castillo 9, Ratuita 7, Tomeldan 4, E. Lim 0, De Los Reyes 0 WALLGUARD ENDANGER XYLADECOR’S BID, 81-72 Wallguard overcame an inspired performance from Xyladecor and woke up in the final minutes to steal an 81-72 win to ensure themselves with a twice-to-beat advantage in the semis. Xyladecor brought the fight to the hapless Wallguard contingent, as time and again they found the answers to counter their opponent’s offensive outbursts. Wallguard enjoyed double-digit leads several times in the ballgame, but each time they appeared ready to put some distance between them and their opponents, Xyladecor’s players found a way to narrow the gap. Andrew Ambatali’s 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals, led Xyladecor as he repeatedly scored around the lane. Joseph Gaytano sustained the attack with 14 points of his own to go with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Elmor Manalili and Chris Co combined in the backcourt to keep the game close all throughout, as Manalili collected 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals while Co chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Tennessee Ng was the steady force in the middle, as he worked his way to 12 points and 7 rebounds. Wallguard’s lackadaisical approach to the game almost made them unravel in the final minutes, as they found themselves down 4 with only a little over 4 minutes left after leading by 8 earlier in the quarter. Xyladecor was on a roll and still gathering momentum to come up with the badly-needed win. Leo Mamaradlo, Nats Francisco, Dunhill Villaruel and Epoy del Rosario, however, got their groove back just in time to eke out a 13-4 game-ending run with timely fastbreak points and steady freethrow shooting. Mamaradlo led Wallguard with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Francisco dished out another solid performance with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists. Villaruel had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists while del Rosario finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Boxscores: Wallguard (81) – Mamaradlo 20, Francisco 16, Villaruel 14, del Rosario 14, Meonada 8, Balderosa 6, Raz 3 Xyladecor (72) – Ambatali 21, Gaytano 14, Manalili 13, Ng 12, Co 8, Molina 2, Virgo 2VIRTUOSO BOOTS OUT TITAN SUPERFLEX WITH 85-64 ROMP Virtuoso narrowed the race to the semifinals down to 3 aspirants as they officially eliminated an out-of-sync but game Titan-Superflex squad, 85-64. Virtuoso only paraded five players for the game but Titan-Superflex failed to capitalize, due largely to the superb teamwork displayed by Virtuoso’s five players in attendance, and the fact that they also only had 6 players who attended the game. It was still an entertaining game as Melvin Patawaran put on a shooting display on the way to leading his team to their 4th win in 8 games. Patawaran had 29 points on 12 of 19 shooting from the floor. Roy Punla had 16 points and 8 rebounds for Virtuoso, as he combined with Patawaran and Jeff Gaw in the backcourt. Jeff Gaw came out with a 14-point performance to go with an impressive stat line of 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Ross Reyes gathered 15 points, 22 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks in another dominant all-around performance for Virtuoso. Mike Fernandez added 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Paolo Olan led the way for Titan-Superflex, as his 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks spearheaded their cause. Randy Go came back from a long absence to infuse his team with grit and toughness to dish out 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Richard Chua came out with his best game so far for Titan-Superflex, as he battled for 14 points, 5 rebounds and a steal. Wilfred Gonzaga chipped in 6 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, while Mon Contreras contributed 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. It was a sorry loss for Titan-Superflex, who needed this win badly to salvage their semifinal bid after suffering a series of close losses in the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup. They are now at the tailend of the standings at 1-7, making it mathematically impossible for them to catch the rest of the field for a spot in the semis. Boxscores: Viruoso (85) – Patawaran 29, Punla 16, Reyes 15, Gaw 14, Fernandez 11 Titan Superflex (64) – Olan 23, Go 16, R. Chua 14, Gonzaga 6, Contreras 5, Santiago 0 Back to Top |
| WALLGUARD TOPPLES TITAN SUPERFLEX, 86-79 APRIL 14, 2007 - Wallguard pushed Titan Superflex to the edge of elimination while virtually securing a semis slot for themselves in a hard-earned 86-79 win. Titan-Superflex, playing with fire and a sense of urgency to arrest their sputtering campaign, came out with guns blazing and quickly raced to an early lead. Paolo Olan and Allen Gamallo led the attack, as the supporting cast of Wilfred Gonzaga and Richard Chua worked hard on the inside block. Timely baskets were also provided by the backcourt rotation of Ronnie Combo, Mon Contreras and Rudy Beltran. Olan led all scorers with 27 points while also collecting 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Gamallo snared 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Chua gathered 8 points and 10 rebounds while Gonzaga had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assts, a steal and 2 blocks. Combo had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal; Contreras got 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals while Beltran also scored 6 points for Titan-Superflex’s productive backcourt. Their balanced team effort would fall short, however, against Wallguard’s equally impressive spread-out team production. Nathaniel Francisco bounced back from injury to literally lord it over the boards, pulling 25 rebounds to help his team control the game. Francisco had 18 caroms on the defensive end, igniting a fastbreaking game that set Joma Meonada, Dunhill Villaruel and Leo Mamaradlo loose in a deciding 2nd quarter run that gave Wallguard a double-digit cushion entering the 3rd period. Meonada scored 12 of his 18 points in that run, while Villaruel was his usual self, running and gunning for 13 points, with Mamaradlo banging his way to 15 points and 9 rebounds with 2 blocks. Titan Superflex was down 12 in the last 2 minutes, but managed a last gasp sparked by a John Santiago trey. A steal and a conversion each by Olan and Gonzaga chopped the lead down to 5 with 1:31 left, but Wallguard maintained their poise in the freethrow line to secure the win. Boxscores: Wallguard (86) – del Rosario 22, Meonada 18, Mamaradlo 15, Villaruel 13, Francisco 11, Balderosa 4, Casares 3 Titan Superflex (79) – Olan 27, Gamallo 13, Santiago 9, R. Chua 8, Combo 6, Contrears 6, Beltran 6, Gonzaga 4 SKIMKOTE SHOOTS DOWN VIRTUOSO, 99-76 Skimkote brought a double-barreled shotgun to the game and an efficient clean-up crew to jeopardize Virtuoso’s hopes in moving up the leaderboard, 99-76. With Brian James Chiu converting from every conceivable angle while being constantly hounded by defenders, Neil Del Castillo injected a shot of adrenaline to Skimkote’s offensive attack, sparking a 2nd quarter run that erased Virtuoso’s early 19-10 advantage. Chiu was his usual prolific self on his way to 38 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 steals for the night, but Del Castillo stole the show by igniting a decisive run that left Virtuoso choking on their dust on his way to 15 points. Geoffrey Selecios ably patrolled the lane to dish out a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double performance, while Jay De Guzman wowed the crowd with his 13 points coming by way of several spectacular acrobatic shots. Virtuoso actually appeared headed to a cakewalk, as Ross Reyes rampaged early in the game, overpowering Skimkote’s frontline and attacking at every open opportunity. The absence of his tag-team partner Vince Daulong would be felt in a short while, however, as only Reyes could sustain the effort to keep up with Skimkote’s scorers. Reyes finished the game with 37 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks. Skimkote hardly missed in the crucial run where they zoomed ahead, leaving Virtuoso with no rebounds to build their game on. Roy Punla worked hard to try and close the gap as he contributed 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, as Melvin Patawaran clawed and fought for his 11 points and 4 rebounds. Virtuoso’s effort would prove well too short, however, as Skimkote’s scoring parade started early and forced them to play catch-up for most of the game. Skimkote took a firm hold on 2nd place with their 5th win in 7 games, while also holding off Virtuoso’s attempt to catch them in the standings for the twice-to-beat semis incentive. Boxscores: Skimkote (99) – Chiu 38, Selecios 21, Del Castillo 15, De Guzman 13, Ratuita 6, Wong 4, Tomeldan 2 Virtuoso (76) – Reyes 37, Punla 12, Patawaran 11, Ubina 7, Gaw 7, Fernando 2 DECORE BACK ON TRACK WITH 88-67 WIN OVER XYLADECOR Decore got themselves back in the hunt for a semifinals appearance with a rousing 88-67 victory over Xyladecor. Relying on the veteran leadership and experience of its players, Decore forged a three-way tie for third place and made the semifinals race more interesting. Richard Ortiz dished out another stellar performance in leading his team to the win, compiling 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in a performance that demoralized Xyladecor’s attempts to close the gap in th 2nd half. Equally impressive was the inspired performance of Pankoy Santaromana, who shot 50 percent from the field en route to 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The other half of the fabled Grease Gun Brothers of ABU, Simon Mangio, also facilitated the demise of Xyladecor for this game, as he uncorked 16 points on a similar 50 percent clip. Albert Tamase helped Ortiz control the lanes as he contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Veteran playmaker Jun Roberto was content in setting the table for his teammates, controlling the tempo and disrupting Xyladecor’s offensive, on his way to 8 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. Xyladecor found themselves down early, as the 1st quarter concluded with a 23-15 score. The 2nd quarter was no different, as Decore firing on all cylinders combined with a disjointed Xyladecor offense to yield a 46-36 result. Tennessee Ng, Joseph Gaytano and Kenneth Trinidad were the bright spots for Xyladecor, as Ng battled for 22 points and 8 rebounds despite being hobbled by knee problems. Gaytano played with unusual fervor as he kept attacking the hoop with nimble moves and kept finding cutting teammates in the lane. He finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists. Trinidad was efficient in manning the backcourt for Xyladecor, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with 3 assists. Boxscores: Decore (88) – Ortiz 27, Santaromana 21, Mangio 16, Tamase 11, Roberto 8, Pabulayan 3, R. Tan 2, Madrelejos 0, S. Chua 0 Xyladecor (67) – Ng 22, Gaytano 18, Trinidad 12, Ambatali 7, Manalili 6, Co 2, Molina 0, B. Uy 0 Back to Top |
| XYLADECOR EDGES TITAN SUPERFLEX WITH 78-75 WIN March 31, 2007 - Xyladecor overcame an early deficit and used a strong windup to narrowly beat out a determined Titan Superflex squad, 78-75. Finding themselves in a hole after two and a half quarters of play, Xyladecor suddenly caught fire in the latter part of the third, and then sustained their newfound strength in stifling a fatigued Titan Superflex squad to grind out the much-needed win. Titan Superflex started like a house on fire with the quick and hot-shooting tandem of Rudy Beltran and Ronnie Combo presiding in a blistering salvo. With Beltran off to a hot-shooting night, Combo provided the spark in setting up his teammates to kick-start their strong first half. Beltran finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Combo had 4 assists and 2 steals on that crucial stretch, to go with 2 points and 2 rebounds. Wilfred Gonzaga and Richard Chua provided a big boost in erecting several double-digit leads bridging the 1st 3 quarters. Gonzaga finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Chua collected a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a steal. Paolo Olan and Allen Gamallo provided the strong foundation with consistent performances, as Olan co-topscored for his team with 18 markers to go with 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Gamallo dished an all-around performance with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Xyladecor would overshadow those performances, however, with Andrew Ambatali and Kenneth Trinidad at the helm and Joseph Gaytano, Chris Co and Elmor Manalili providing the added sting to their offense. Ambatali paced his team with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals while Trinidad hit several big shots in the payoff quarter including a buzzer beater in the 2nd quarter and a big three pointer to tie the game in the last two minutes, to finish with 21 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Gaytano had 11 points, 18 big rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. Co had 9 points and 4 rebounds while Manalili compiled 9 points, 2 assists and 5 steals. Boxscores: Xyladecor (78) – Ambatali 24, Trinidad 21, Gaytano 11, Co 9, Manalili 9, Virgo 3, Molina 2, Amper 0, B. Uy 0 Titan Superflex (75) – Beltran 18, Olan 18, Gamallo 13, Gonzaga 12, R. Chua 12, Combo 2, Santiago 0VIRTUOSO STRIKES BACK AT DECORE, 80-71 With their opening round loss to Decore hanging over their heads, Virtuoso made sure that no late comebacks would materialize this time around as they came away 80-71 winners over a badly depleted Decore quintet. Starting off cold and giving up the first 2 quarters to Decore, Virtuoso looked tentative to start the contest. Simon Mangio waxed hot early and Jun Roberto sparked a fastbreaking game that put them ahead 22-9 early in the game. Virtuoso chipped at the 1st quarter lead to bring it down to 6 but an offensive rebound and follow-up at the buzzer by George Madrelejos closed the quarter at 27-19. Virtuoso stole the lead in the 2nd quarter with Roy Punla, Melvin Patawaran, Ross Reyes and Vince Daulong finally hitting their stride. Mangio and Roberto then promptly restored order and recaptured the lead by letting Albert Tamase into the mix as they went up again, 39-32. The 3rd quarter was a slugfest as both teams traded blows and leads, with no team leading by more than 3 points. Richard Tan and Kenneth Uy battled with Virtuoso’s big men inside to preserve their lead going to the 4th, 54-53, as Tan found Uy open for a buzzer-beating twinner. But Virtuoso’s beefy lineup would prove too much for Decore’s players to handle, as Jojit Ubina joined the fray and sparked a big closing run. Ubina’s spectacular spin move put them ahead for good, 58-59 with Punla, Daulong, Reyes and Patawaran alternating in chopping down Decore’s resistance. Reyes had 21 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Daulong had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Punla provided the shot of adrenaline with his 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Ubina finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists while Patawaran had 7 points and 3 rebounds. Mangio led Decore with 28 points while Roberto had 20 points, 10 assists and 6 steals. Albert Tamase had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Boxscores: Virtuoso (80) – Reyes 21, Punla 20, Daulong 20, Ubina 9, Patawaran 7, Gaw 3 Decore (71) – Mangio 28, Roberto 20, Tamase 14, K. Uy 6, Madrelejos 2, Pabulayan 0, S. Chua 0SKIMKOTE STICKS 80-79 DAGGER INTO WALLGUARD Skimkote overcame a slow start then rode Brian James Chiu and Jay De Guzman’s endgame heroics to topple Wallguard, 80-79. Never giving up when all seemed lost in the final minute of the ballgame, Jay De Guzman hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to bring a 4-point Wallguard lead down to a single point, setting up one of ABU’s classic finishes. Skimkote was forced to foul under the penalty with 13 seconds left. Epoy del Rosario bungled 3 crucial free throws in the endgame, including the last two after De Guzman’s trey, which could have ensured Wallguard the win, putting his team in a precarious position. With time down to 5 seconds, Jeff Selecios grabbed the rebound and quickly shuttled it to a streaking Chiu. Chiu quickly crossed the halfcourt line, burned rubber and got to the right quarter court 3-point line then heaved a well-defended shot over two Wallguard players that swished in as time expired. That dagger of a shot sparked jubilation in the Skimkote much to dismay of the Wallguard camp, who let slip a game that they appeared to have control of. Wallguard raced to a 34-16 lead in the 2nd quarter behind their vaunted fastbreaking game, but Skimkote promptly erased the lead in the 3rd and grabbed the driver’s seat late in the 4th. Wallguard then went on a mini-run of their own, methodically breaking Skimkote’s press and forcing them to team foul trouble to go up by 4 in the last minute, only to be sent crashing down with del Rosario’s meltdown at the freethrow line. Skimkote was led by Chiu’s 30 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, with Kelvin De Chavez providing additional heroics with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. De Guzman had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Del Rosario’s 23 points, 21 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals paced Wallguard. Dunhill Villaruel had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Nats Francisco, playing with an injured knee, compiled 11 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Boxscores: Skimkote (80) – Chiu 30, De Chavez 17, De Guzman 9, Ratuita 8, Selecios 6, Motus 5, Lim 5, Del Castillo 0 Wallguard (79) – del Rosario 23, Villaruel 15, Francisco 11, Raz 9, Mamaradlo 8, Tattao 7, Meonada 4, Balderosa 2 Back to Top |
| WALLGUARD BARELY ESCAPES VIRTUOSO IN 3 OTs, 103-100 MARCH 24, 2007 - Wallguard needed 3 overtime periods to shake off a grimly determined Virtuoso squad to sweep the 1st round of the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup, 103-100. In a classic game that took over 2 hours, Wallguard’s players nosed out Virtuoso in the final minute, withstanding a monster game from Ross Reyes who went for 42 points and 22 rebounds. Wallguard dominated the 1st half by erecting several double-digit leads. But behind Reyes and the sudden awakening of his teammates, Virtuoso blanked Wallguard in the 3rd to steal the lead, 53-52, going to the payoff period. Vince Daulong finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds, Melvin Patawaran had 15 and 5 with 5 assists, Roy Punla notched 10 and 4 while Jojit Ubina got 9 and 5 for the night. Virtuoso continued to pounce on a suddenly sputtering Wallguard offensive, carrying a 7-point lead inside the last three minutes. Wallguard rose to the occasion, however, when Joma Meonada’s drive sparked a run that was followed by a fastbreak drive by Joseph Raz, capped by an Epoy del Rosario three-pointer in the closing seconds that arranged the 1st overtime. The two teams gallantly traded punches in the 1st OT, with Virtuoso going up 80-75 via a Reyes trey. Wallguard went to its passing game and overhauled the deficit to force the 2nd OT behind Steve Tattao, Nats Francisco and Tonton Gonzales. Wallguard then went up in the 2nd OT but Reyes and Jeff Gaw connected on three pointers to force the 3rd OT. Then it became the Steve Tattao show: Tattao scored 7 points in the 3rd OT, first on a three-pointer, then on two spectacular drives to the basket to help give his team the victory. Tattao finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals to earn Player of the Game honors. Wallguard had 5 players in double figures, with Del Rosario having 36 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals; Gonzales had 16 points and 15 rebounds; Francisco finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and 8 blocks and Joseph Raz went for 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Boxscores: Wallguard (103) – Del Rosario 36, Tattao 22, Gonzales 16, Francisco 13, Raz 10, Meonada 4, Balderosa 2 Virtuoso (100) – Reyes 42, Daulong 17, Patawaran 15, Punla 10, Ubina 9, Gaw 5, Erfe 2 SKIMKOTE GRABS 3RD WIN BY UP-ENDING XYLADECOR, 88-79 Skimkote grabbed solo 2nd place in the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup by outplaying Xyladecor, 88-79. Using a very strong finishing kick in the 2nd half behind stellar performances from Brian James Chiu, Jeff Selecios, Kelvin De Chavez and Joel Ratuita, Skimkote managed to turn a 38-36 lead at the end of the 2nd to 64-52 cushion bridging the 3rd Quarter and the start of the 4th. Chiu led the onslaught as he uncorked 28 points on 50% shooting, to go with 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals. Selecios controlled the lane to finish with 15 points and 15 rebounds. De Chavez added 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Ratuita scrapped his way to 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Xyladecor, in the midst of a 3-game slide, fell apart in the 2nd half after battling for the 1st 2 quarters and finally managing to grab the lead at the start of the 3rd when Joseph gaytano banked an Anatolie Amper assist and Kenneth Trinidad found an open Amper for a jumper. After a jumper by Chiu tied it at 40-all, Tennessee Ng converted off an Amper assist to regain the upper hand. That would be Xyladecor’s last taste of the lead, as Skimkote hummed with Chiu, Ratuita and Selecios working the passing lanes to go into the 4th up 59-52. A Davidson Teves assist to Selecios would give them their biggest lead and most comfortable cushion at the 9-minute mark, 64-52. Not even a mini-run anchored by Andrew Ambatali and Ng would faze the well-oiled Skimkote squad, as fastbreak points by Ambatali and Ng were negated by a Ratuita conversion from a Jay De Guzman assist and then a Selecios short stab aided by a pass from Ratuita. Ng’s 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks led Xyladecor. Ambatali collected 15 points and 8 rebounds. Kenneth Trinidad missed only once to finish with 12 points and 3 rebounds, while Joseph Gaytano chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds. Boxscores: Skimkote (88) – Chiu 28, Selecios 15, De Chavez 13, Ratuita 11, De Guzman 6, Del Castillo 5, Tomeldan 4, E. Lim 2, Motus 2, Teves 2, Delos Reyes 0 Xyladecor (79) – Ng 24, Ambatali 15, Trinidad 12, Gaytano 10, Co 6, Amper 5, Manalili 4, Molina 3, Bano 0, B. Uy 0TITAN-SUPERFLEX PULLS OUT 93-89 WIN OVER DECORE Facing a furious last-minute assault from a veteran Decore squad and down to 4 players due to foul disqualification, Titan-Superflex summoned a huge effort to hang on to a precarious lead and their first win, 93-89. After starting cold and falling behind 21-13 on Decore’s prolific run and gun game in the 1st quarter, Titan Superflex inched their way back into the contest with methodical precision. With Decore’s Pankoy Santaromana and Simon Mangio catching fire from outside and Richard Ortiz repeatedly driving down the lane, Randy Go regained his touch from 3-point distance and opened up the floor for his teammates. Mon Contreras and Paolo Olan served as sparkplugs as Titan-Superflex suddenly felt comfortable running down Decore’s players and kicking the ball out to jumpshooters Go, John Santiago and Allen Gamallo when stymied inside. With Go shooting his way to a 22-point night with 12-rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, Contreras ran the break to finish with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Richard Chua stepped up his running pace and his over-all game as he raced the lanes for a 12 point-performance, grabbing 7 rebounds on the way. John Santiago made crucial plays in the stretch on his way to 9 points and 5 rebounds. Allen Gamallo stabilized his team with 15 rebounds and 6 steals to add to his 7 points. Paolo Olan paced his team with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Decore was led by Ortiz with 26 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Mangio’s 22. Santaromana had 20 points and Jun Roberto finished with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists. Amazingly, Titan-Superflex won the game with only 4 players after Go and Olan fouled out successively inside the 2-minute mark. With Decore breathing down their necks, Mon Contreras calmly sunk 5 free throws in the last 36 seconds to hold off a furious rally that cut the lead to 2, 89-91 on a Mangio trey. Boxscores: Titan-Superflex (83) – Olan 25, Go 22, Contreras 18, R. Chua 12, Santiago 9, Gamallo 7 Decore (79) – Ortiz 26, Mangio 22, Santaromana 20, Roberto 19, Tamase 1, R. Tan 1, Madrelejos 0, Pabulayan 0, S. Chua 0 Back to Top |
| VIRTUOSO ROLLS OVER TITAN -SUPERFLEX FOR 2ND WIN, 89-80 MARCH 17, 2007 - Virtuoso prolonged the winless woes of Titan-Superflex by putting up a modest win streak of their own, securing their 2nd consecutive win with an 89-80 victory. Zooming ahead in the 1st quarter and building a 25-16 advantage going into the 2nd period, Virtuoso would never relinquish the lead to a gritty Titan-Superflex squad. Behind their big guns Vince Daulong and Ross Reyes, Virtuoso pounced on their opponents’ vulnerability in the lane. Daulong exploded for 27 big points and 7 rebounds to pace his team, while his frontline partner Reyes delivered a 20-20 performance, rampaging for 24 points and 20 rebounds. Reyes also compiled 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in an all-around effort that lifted Virtuoso. Titan-Superflex was never lacking in effort to overcome their early deficit, as their balanced attack as a team trimmed Virtuoso’s lead several times. Paolo Olan was on the scoring helm for Titan-Superflex, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. It was Allen Gamallo and Wilfred Gonzaga who helped Olan shorten the gap in the 2nd period, as Gamallo and Gonzaga combined to trim a 25-35 deficit to a 39-43 score at the half. Gonzaga compiled 15 points and 10 rebounds in a stellar outing for Titan-Superflex, while Gamallo hustled to 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Virtuoso would extend that slim margin to 10 at the halfway mark of the 3rd as Jeff Gaw, Melvin Patawaran and Roy Punla hit their stride. Gaw collected 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, while Patawaran scored 10 points with Punla contributing 8. An Olan trey, a spin move on their next possession and a 3-point play by Gonzaga closed the gap at 54-52, but that would be the closest Titan-Superflex could get as Virtuoso punched the pedal and zoomed to a 68-54 lead going into the final canto behind Daulong and Reyes. Virtuoso then kept Titan-Superflex at bay in the 4th to secure the win. Boxscores: Virtuoso (89) – Daulong 27, Reyes 24, Gaw 11, Patawaran 10, Punla 8, Fernando 3, Fernandez 3, Erfe 3 Titan-Superflex (80) – Olan 24, Gonzaga 15, Gamallo 11, Contreras 10, Chua 8, Buendia 7, Santiago 5, Go 0 WALLGUARD EXTENDS STREAK BY DOWNING XYLADECOR, 89-64 Wallguard stuck to its unselfish team play and extended their win streak to 4, as they handed Xyladecor their 2nd consecutive loss, 89-64. Six players scored in double-figures for Wallguard, as they also dished out 23 assists as a team. Steve Tattao, who kept finding holes in Xyladecor’s defense and the recipient of many of Wallguard’s assists, topscored for his team with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. Dunhill Villaruel plugged away from the outside, keeping Xyladecor’s defense honest and his team’s offense fluid, as he notched 19 points, 7 assists and 4 steals. Epoy del Rosario helped with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, while Leo Mamaradlo chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds. Joma Meonada was a big boost off the bench, as he injected adrenaline to Wallguard’s fastbreak game en route to 11 points and 5 rebounds of his own. Anchoring Wallguard’s potent run-and-gun style is center Nats Francisco, holding down the defensive fort and cleaning the boards to jumpstart Wallguard’s attack. Francisco had 10 points to go with a masterful performance of 16 rebounds and 7 blocks with 3 assists and 2 steals. From a 17-15 1st quarter score, Wallguard went to work in the 2nd quarter by converting Xyladecor’s misses and errors to fastbreak points. Xyladecor managed to keep the game close in the early going by riding Andrew Ambatali’s brilliant offensive effort, leading his team with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Ambatali would not get much from his teammates in this particular night, however, as no other Xyladecor player managed to break double-digits for the game. Tennessee Ng had 9 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Co had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Albert Virgo also contributed 8 points with 3 rebounds. After Wallguard’s lead ballooned to 26 points in the 3rd, Xyladecor trimmed the lead to 13 in the 4th, but Wallguard again found its stride and coasted to the win. Boxscores: Wallguard (89) – Tattao 21, Villaruel 19, del Rosario 14, Mamaradlo 12, Meonada 11, Francisco 10, Balderosa 2, Raz 0 Xyladecor (64) - Ambatali 25, Ng 9, Co 8, Virgo 8, Trinidad 6, Manalili 4, Capalla 2, B. Uy 2SKIMKOTE BURIES DECORE WITH SCORING RECORD, 106-82 Skimkote shot the lights out at the CCP gym with a record-shattering offensive display, burying Decore in a hailstorm of points in a 106-82 win. With 3 players breaking 20 points and 2 others with sub-20 point contributions, Skimkote ran away from a veteran Decore team, who couldn’t seem to find the right combination to stand in front of their opponent’s offensive juggernaut. Topscoring for Skimkote is Brian James Chiu, who went for 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jeff Selecios, making up for a mediocre performance last week, battered the Decore frontline for 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kelvin De Chavez also found his game and his range in uncorking 20 points for his team. Jay De Guzman added to the pressure that Skimkote applied on Decore by scattering 17 points while Joel Ratuita’s 14 points and 11 rebounds widened the scoring gap further. Richard Ortiz battled his way to 34 hard-earned points and 15 bruising rebounds, repeatedly taking it strong towards Skimkote’s defense, trying to inject life into their sputtering team effort. Simon Mangio was 5 out of 12 from three-point distance, as he delivered 17 points for Decore. Jun Roberto had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals while orchestrating his team’s offense. Albert tamase and Pankoy Santaromana each had 8 points for Decore. From a close 22-15 1st quarter score, Skimkote ran away with a 27 point 2nd quarter to close the half with a 49-33 upper hand. Decore didn’t make much headway in the 3rd to close the gap as they only outscored Skimkote by 2 points, going into the 4th quarter down big, 57-71. It was in the 4th where Skimkote hit their stride, closing the game with 35 big points to reach the record 106 points, eclipsing the 103 markers set two tournaments prior to this one. Both teams now sport a 2-2 win-loss card. Boxscores: Skimkote ( 106) - Chiu 23, Selecios 20, De Chavez 20, De Guzman 17, Ratuita 14, E. Lim 7, Del Castillo 5, Tomeldan 0, Motus 0 Decore (82) – Ortiz 34, Mangio 17, Roberto 11, Santaromana 8, Tamase 8, R. Tan 2, Madrelejos 2, S. Chua 0, Soriquez 0, Pabulayan 0 Back to Top |
| VIRTUOSO NABS 1ST WIN BY OUTLASTING SKIMKOTE, 85-67 MARCH 10, 2007 - Virtuoso finally managed to break free of its losing doldrums by picking up their 1st win in the 2007 ABU Boysen Cup at the expense of Skimkote, 85-67. Surviving an early string of 3-pointers from Skimkote, Virtuoso employed a methodical dismantling of their opponents off the boards and riding their heftier frontline en route to the win. Most of Skimkote’s players are off the mark for the night, as they only connected on 22 of 63 shots, while Virtuso made 38 out of their 49 attempts. That statistic alone told the story of the ballgame for both teams, as Virtuso, behind monster games from Vince Daulong and Ross Reyes, controlled the lane and the boards to magnify the shooting woes of Skimkote. Daulong recorded a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds, with a similar output coming from Reyes with his 19 points and 13 rebounds. Virtuoso also got valuable contributions from newcomer Jeff Gaw, who scored 11 ponts and pulled down 9 rebounds, Roy Punla and Jojit Ubina who each had 7 points, Manny Fernando who had 6 points on 2 of 3 shots from 3-point distance, and Lawrence Erfe who had 6 points. The only bright spot for Skimkote was Brian James Chiu, who went for 34 points on 50% shooting from the floor. Kelvin De Chavez had 9 points for his team, while Neil del Castillo used an early offensive explosion to help keep Skimkote stay in the thick of things in the 1st half. Del Castillo shot 2 out of 2 from the three-point line in the early going, finishing with 8 points for the game. Virtuoso’s frontline was simply too much for Skimkote, a team who relies much on their shooting and the play of their guards, who happened to be on an off night in this particilar game. No other player from Skimkote was able to break into double-figures, as they were also soundly outrebounded by Virtuoso, 49-38. Virtuoso also had a 12-4 assist advantage as a team. Boxscores: Virtuoso (85) – Daulong 26, Reyes 19, Gaw 11, Punla 7, Ubina 7, Fernando 6, Erfe 6, Fernandez 3, Patawaran 0 Skimkote (67) – Chiu 34, De Chavez 9, Del Castillo 8, Selecios 5, E. Lim 4, Delos Reyes 2, Teves 2, De Guzman 0, Tomeldan 0 DECORE PICKS UP 2nd WIN AT XYLADECOR’S EXPENSE, 78-59 Decore broke free in the 4th quarter of a very tight contest to pick up its 2nd win in 3 games, overcoming Xyladecor, 78-59. Richard Ortiz, Simon Mangio and Jun Roberto unleashed a furious 4th quarter run that turned an otherwise tight contest into a blowout late in the 4th. Ortiz led the assault with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Mangio had a prolific shooting night with 19 points to go with his 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Roberto contributed 12 points, 3 assists and a steal. Xyladecor stuck with Decore thru the first 3 quarters, mainly due to the stellar play of Kenneth Trinidad, who was smoking hot early in the game. Trinidad practically owned the 1st half with a sizzling 3-of-3 shooting from the rainbow territory coupled with impressive playmaking and forays into the basket that helped Xyladecor keep in step with Decore’s equally impressive play. Tennessee Ng, Andrew Ambatali and Joseph Gaytano provided the inside presence and defensive hustle for Xyladecor to keep the score close. The 1st quarter ended at 17-19, the 2nd at 31-30 and the 3rd closed at 50-52. Trinidad led his team with 16 points while Ng finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Ambatali tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds while Gaytano chipped in 9 points, an impressive 14 rebounds with an assisst and 2 steals. Xyladecor just narrowly failed to match Decore’s intensity in the 4th quarter, when Mark Soriquez sparked a 12-2 run, scoring on a short stab on the break that turned a slim 52-50 lead into a 64-52 bubble, capped by a Mike Pabulayan shot on an assist by Ortiz at the halfway mark of the 4th. Xyladecor tried to claw back into the game with a Tennessee Ng trey and an Elmor Manalili fastbreak layup, but a Roberto three-pointer, a fastbreak layup by Albert Tamase off an Ortiz outlet pass and a Pankoy Santaromana jumper sealed the win for Decore.Boxscores: Decore (78) – Ortiz 21, Mangio 19, Roberto 12, Santaromana 6, Soriquez 5, S. Chua 4, K. Uy 4, Tamase 4, Pabulayan 3, Madrelejos 2, R. Tan 0 Xyladecor (59) - Trinidad 16, Ng 14, Ambatali 11, Gaytano 9, Manalili 5, Capalla 2, Bano 2, Molina o, Amper 0WALLGUARD OUTPLAY TITAN-SUPERFLEX IN 78-55 WIN Wallguard continued with its winning ways by successfully playing as a team in crucial stretches, as they picked up their 3rd win with a 78-55 victory over Titan-Superflex. Playing an unselfish brand of basketball and with each player in the lineup contributing when called upon, Wallguard managed to break loose in the 3rd quarter, 58-38, then continued its stranglehold in the 4th quarter to control the contest. Five players scored in double figures for Wallguard, with two others coming close. Epoy del Rosario posted 17 points on 8 of 14 shooting, adding 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Dunhill Villaruel was 4 out of 5 from rainbow territory, finishing with 16 points. Nats Francisco scored 10 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, with Tonton Gonzales recording 10 points and 6 rebounds. Steve Tattao practically put the game out of reach by being at the right place each and every time Titan-Superflex’s players gambled on a double-team. Tattao’s sneaky play led to 12 points, all scored off of assists from his teammates, the result of his mastery of moving without the ball. He also had 6 rebounds for Wallguard. Leo Mamaradlo also chipped in 9 points while Joma Meonada put in 6 points. Randy Go got injured early in the game and had to play for limited stretches with a strained calf. Titan-Superflex actually employed a nice passing game, moving the ball around and patiently waiting for an open-shot opportunity, but the percentages got the better of them. Playing without an injured Paolo Olan and big man Peter Buendia, Titan-Superflex got solid contributions from Mon Contreras, Rudy Beltran, and Allen Gamallo. Contraras led his team with 12 points while Gamallo collected 10 points and 8 rebounds. Beltran repeatedly burned Wallguard’s defense with pull-up shots and accurate shooting, converting on all of his 5 shots for a 100% clip for the night. Wilfred Gonzaga had 5 points and 15 big rebounds for Titan-Superflex. Boxscores: Wallguard (78) - del Rosario 17, Villaruel 16, Tattao 12, Francisco 10, Gonzales 10, Mamaradlo 9, Meonada 6, Balderosa 0, B. Tan 0, Santiago 0 Titan-Superflex (55) – Contreras 12, Beltran 10, Gamallo 10, Clemena 7, Gonzaga 5, R. Chua 4, Santiago 4, Go 3, Combo 0 Back to Top |
| SKIMKOTE’S |