Streetball: GILR Wildcats survive Jinks

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, March 21, 2010

THE GILR Wildcats were given a late scare but held on by defeating 90-85 Jinks last night in Group A of StreetballBrunei 2010 at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

The GILR Wildcats top the group going into the next round and Jinks, despite the loss, are also through in second place.

Ronnel Sugnan topscored for the Wildcats with 20 points and Ernesto Espeque contributed 14 points. Mark Delantar also had a good effort with 12 points.

On the other hand, five players scored in double figures for Jinks. Justin Kennedy had a game-high of 23 points while Aldrex Candari chipped in 17.

The defending champions were pretty much in control for the entire match with Sugnan driving to the hoop and laying the ball off to the big man under the basket for easy points. However, Jinks stayed with their opponents by attacking the painted area with 6ft 3 centre Kennedy, resulting in the scoreboard reading 45-36 at halftime.

Despite facing a double digit deficit for much of the second half, Jinks never went on a run which threatened the game. Jinks applied a full court pressure defence in the final two minutes of the match, whereby at that point, the scoreboard read 85-72 in favour of GILR. But three quick steals by Jinks in a matter of seconds in the final minute of the match brought the score to 87-81 with 30 seconds to go. However, a timeout called restored order as the Wildcats settled for the victory.

"I thought that it was a relatively easy win for us," said Robert Rubillar, the playing assistant coach of the GILR Wildcats, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the triumph.

"They did try to make a comeback in the final two minutes but it was a little too late as we had already maintained a lead large enough for the win," said Rubillar.

However, the assistant coach was not satisfied with the overall performance of the team despite the victory.

"We haven't been playing at our full potential as the players are probably still lingering on the semi-final loss to Hope in the FAB tournament," said Rubillar.

"Nonetheless, the pressure is off us now and we're going to take it one game at a time. We will just have to be prepared as we know the next round is going to be tough," concluded Rubillar.

On Friday night, Al Ssarah Eagles completed a 72-66 overtime comeback win over Hua Ho in Group C to keep their hopes alive in making the next round.

Three matches are featured today. MK Kids will face Ilocandia in Group B at 1pm followed by Team Committee Al Ssarah eagles in Group C at 2.30pm. The final match of the day will have the Pinoy Resources and KTC (Kiarong Tuesday Club) go head-to-head at 4pm.


source: The Brunei Times

Streetball: Sold play up against exhausted MK Kids

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, March 19, 2010

SOLD were gifted a their second straight win with an 86-67 victory over MK Kids in Group B of the StreetballBrunei 2010 last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

MK Kids, having played in the final of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament less than 24 hours ago on Wednesday night, were exhausted heading into last night's game.

Allan Caringal, coming off a 37-point performance in an overtime victory against Ilocandia last Sunday, had another good performance by leading Sold with a game-high of 27 points. Renen Mirano also shot the ball well -- going for 22.

Lakay Fontanilla was the topscorer for MK Kids with 18 points and Coby Agustin contributed 16 points in a losing effort. Geve Leones was not his usual self, chipping in only eight points in the loss.

MK Kids had only six players on the roster to start the game and were punished for their sloppy defensive work as Sold opened up a 26-17 lead going into the second period. Sold continued to run their game in transition. However, good movement of the ball for easy baskets allowed the FAB runners-up to cut the deficit to 42-37 at halftime.

Sold upped their defence after the interval and caused their opponents to commit turnovers, turning them into easy points. Caringal was up to his usual tricks by dominating the paint with his post up moves. Sold had extended their lead to 65-51 heading into the final stanza.

Spectators would usually expect a Leones show in the fourth quarter but it was not to be as Sold cruised to a comfortable victory.

"The players all did well. But I guess we were lucky in a way that Leones had used up all his strength in last night's (Wednesday night's) final and also that their team was not complete," said Sold head coach Paul Balios.

Earlier, guest team Liga Bumiputera lit up the scoreboard with a 99-72 victory over an under-manned GILR Wildcats side in Group A.

Five players scored in double figures for Liga Bumiputera with Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili and Alex Po finishing with 18 points each. Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili and Muiz Hj Abdul Ghani each had 16 points while Zulhelmi Hj Rambli added 12 points.

Ronnel Sugnan scored 22 points for GILR Wildcats, who were missing five key players.

Today's match pit Hua Ho against Al Ssarah Eagles in Group C at 10pm.


source: The Brunei Times

FAB: This is where Hope resides

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, March 19, 2010

ALL eyes were on Geve Leones for the the final of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament in Batu Bersurat on Wednesday night. And the 6ft 1in Filipino delivered another stellar performance, but it wasn't enough to keep his MK Kids squad from going down 71-65 to Hope in the 37 years-old and below category.

Leones had been unstoppable during the earlier rounds, culminating in a sublime semi-final effort against Asaff on Monday night, in which he scored 23 points in the fourth quarter alone to send MK Kids into the final.

His 27 points was outdone by teammate Jeff Paraiso, who had a game-high 29 points. Marcelino Magaan added 14 points.

"We're just happy that we managed to finally capture a championship," said Hope coach Bernardo Dayao.

Hope set the tone early, led for the entire first half and were up 32-30 lead at the break. MK Kids' strategy of containing Paraiso, who was named the best import player of the tournament, with a box-one defence wasn't paying off as he relentlessly found open lanes to the rim.

Big threat Leones, was doing what he does best at the other end, running the floor, splitting the defence and driving for easy layups, despite being swarmed by two, three and at times even four players whenever he touched the ball.

Exhaustion finally began to creep into his game by the third period, which wasn't helped by MK Kids' shallow rotation of just seven players. Hope, on the other hand were firing on all cylinders -- finding the open man and knocking down shots.

Despite trailing by double figures for much of the final period, MK Kids went on a run that cut Hope's lead to 67-62 with two minutes to go. However, what scant chance they had to pull it out was squashed when one of their players fouled out and Hope racked up the defensive intensity.

"We managed to go with our game plan and everyone really contributed," said Dayao.

Dayao pointed to the defensive effort in slowing down Leones as being the deciding factor but said they were lucky he had an off shooting night.

But Dayao is not a coach who likes to rest on his laurels for long. "We're competing in StreetballBrunei 2010 at the moment. We're aiming to be champions for that tournament and go back-to-back," he said.

MK Kids coach Raul Dimaano could only rue the missed opportunities.

"I guess the players were too tired from the semi-finals. I can't blame them as they have given 100 per cent but (they) missed quite a few shots down the stretch," said Dimaano. "We knew Hope are a good team and they brought their A game. Paraiso was fantastic and we have to give credit to the coaching staff for doing a great job."

Hope's Mark Padilla was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.

The GILR Wildcats placed third after defeating Asaff 88-72 on Wednesday.

source: The Brunei Times

FAB: Welflex engineer final effort

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, March 18, 2010

THERE were no second chances for the Brunei Buffaloes after Welflex Engineering dominated them 61-40 in the final of the of the 38 years old and above category of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament.

The game plotted the same course as the previous meeting between the two teams. In that one the Buffaloes lost 70-56 on February 28.

Noel Grafil was the top scorer of the match in leading Welflex Engineering with 17 points while Jun Ibanez contributed 10 points in the victory.

For the other team, Alex Po was the only player to score in double figure, with 11 points.

The game started out badly for the Buffaloes. Their execution was sloppy, which led to turnovers. They couldn't get anything going as they were relying on their outside shooting which again, they were not connecting on. Po was the go-to-man for the Buffaloes as he scored his team's first seven points.

Welflex fared better, finding the open man and knocking down open shots. The Buffaloes were not boxing out which compounded their defensive issues and resulted in second chance opportunities for their opponents who gladly exploited them in opening up a 13-10 lead heading into the second period.

The Buffaloes clearly had no direction on offence as Weflex turned up the heat on Po. They were limited to only two points in the first five minutes of the second stanza that allowed their opponents to extend their lead to 27-12. Welflex Engineering was attacking the paint and managed to utilise their bench for much of the quarter. It was slipping away from the Buffaloes as they faced an uphill climb, down 27-17 at halftime.

The Buffaloes played a different game after the interval and began to be more aggressive by penetrating to the rim and drawing fouls. However, their hopes of a comeback was short lived as Welflex again upped their defensive effort to come up with steals and easy points on the break. The margin was larger at the end of the third period with the scoreboard reading 47-334 in favour of Welflex Engineering.

The Buffaloes, who are made up of local players, began the final period with a back to basics full court press. However, the more experienced Filipino veterans easily passed through the break on their way to a cruisy victory.

"I have to say that we won the match because of our experience. Our opponents are okay but there is still plenty of room for improvement as they are still young. I see a bright future for them in the long run," said Michael Juan, the playing coach of Welflex Engineering.

"Overall the tournament was good and all the teams in our category have been very competitive. It's good to see how the players are all still very athletic as well," added Juan.

"We are thinking of joining the tournament organised by the BBA in the upcoming weeks but it is still undecided. But we would also like to thank our manager, Alfred Goh, for his full support."

The other two teams that competed in the category were DHJ and the Pinoy Printers.

source: The Brunei Times

FAB: Wildcats feast on Asaff's title hopes

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, March 18, 2010

IT WAS supposed to be the final that the pundits had predicted at the start of camp. But it did not turn out that way when both favoured teams went down in the semi-finals of the 37 years old and below category of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament, left to battle it out for third place instead.

In the end it was the GILR Wildcats that prevailed over Asaff 88-72 last night to take some small consolation from the tournament.

That small consolation was in large part provided by the backcourt duo of the GILR Wildcats, Don Mordeno and Ronnel Sugnan, after they combined for 26 of the team's 31 points in the final period.

Sugnan would finish with a game-high of 28 points including 17 in the fourth quarter while Mordeno ended with 16 points.

Mark Del Mundo also had a good game, chipping in 15 points.

Danny Felicilda topscored for Asaff with 20 points and Majomar Aying had 17 points in a losing effort.

It was an equally contested match from the beginning with the GILR Wildcats opening up a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter. The 6ft 2 Del Mundo was the heart of the GILR Wildcats' defence, turning away shots in the post. Asaff had difficulty penetrating the lanes and eventually settled for jumpshots as they fell further behind -- 34-25 at halftime.

Felicilda was raining three-pointers in the third period. Asaff were relying on their quickness and outran their opponents for fastbreaks before reducing the deficit to 49-47 heading into the fourth quarter. However, their rally died when the GILR guards took control of their team and eased them to the win.

"People expected this to be the championship match but in the end I thought finishing in third place was pretty good. At least we got to finish the tournament with a win especially against the likes of a good team such as Asaff," said Robert Rubillar, the assistant coach of the GILR Wildcats, in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"We're going to focus on the StreetballBrunei 2010 tournament. As of now I think the team is quite solid and I believe we might have a chance of defending our title there."

The result of the late final between MK Kids and Hope was not known as of press time.

source: The Brunei Times

FAB: MK Kids have inside running

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

REMEMBER how the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks were dumped out of the first round in the 2007 NBA playoffs by the eight-seeded Golden State Warriors?

That upset was a result of Warriors coach Don Nelson's familiarity with his former team from the Lone Star state.

Tonight's final for the 37 years old and below category of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament might see a similar situation play out when MK Kids face Hope at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

"I know the team (Hope) inside out because I'm their coach for StreetballBrunei 2010," said Raul Dimaano, the head coach of MK Kids, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I know that the team is strong. We're expecting a really tough game and will have to look out for Jeff Paraiso, who has been under me for the past five years."

However, the head coach believes that it is anyone's ball game and it is too hard to call which team will come out with the win.

"I believe we're going to need a lot of luck to win this one. We're prepared and have good momentum after our semi-final win but we know how strong our opponents are," said Dimaano.

"Defence will be the key factor in the match and we'll be expecting (Geve) Leones to deliver once again," added the MK Kids head coach.

Meanwhile, Leones is ready for battle once again after going two straight games with 31 points.

"We are facing a team with a lot of good players. They are a well balanced team but we will have to see how well we can execute our plays tomorrow (Wednesday night)," said Leones.

On the other hand, Bernardo Dayao, the head coach of Hope, feels that they have the ability to capture their first championship.

Hope had appeared in the final of the 111th Philippine Independence Basketball Cup but lost 118-90 to a Leones-led Queenielin/Softlab team last July and he feels that it is the aspirations from that loss that will guide them to victory.

"We're really hoping to become champions. We don't want another second place finish and we'll be getting all the motivation we need in not letting history repeat itself," said Dayao.

"I think that we have the advantage in terms of bench but we will have to ensure we work hard and play a fast game against them," added Dayao.

The final will begin at 10.30pm.


source: The Brunei Times

FAB: Coaches run amok during edgy semi-final

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A HIGHLY anticipated semi-final match between MK Kids and Asaff produced arguably the Sultanate's best basketball game of the year. And like anything else exciting it ended in high-drama.

For MK Kids, the game marked the second time within a week that it was involved in controversy, following its chippy, elbow-throwing 97-93 win over Pizza Hut in double overtime that put them in the semi-finals.

Monday's game had all the intensity of a final, complete with a meltdown by a member of Asaff's coaching staff with less than a minute to go that sent MK Kids into the final of the 37 years old and below category of the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament.

Down 70-66, Assaf's Majomar Aying fired a three-pointer but was fouled on the attempt which was waved off by the referee. An offensive rebound allowed Danny Felicilda, who top scored for Asaff with 30 points, to convert from beyond the arc but an Asaff coach careened onto the court and pushed the official, which led to a technical foul.

The three-pointer stood for Asaff but Geve Leones of MK Kids stepped up to the charity stripe and calmly sank both free throws to bring the score to 72-69. It remained a one possession game leading to a nail-biting finish but it was MK Kids that prevailed after Aying failed to convert on a game-tying shot with five seconds left.

"I thought we were lucky tonight (Monday night). We faced a really tough team (in) Asaff but I have to credit my players who stepped up," said Raul Dimaano, MK's head coach, in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"Leones played superbly. He really gave it 100 per cent," added Dimaano.

When asked about the refereeing, Dimaano replied: "We can't blame them. They're being professional and this is just part of the game."

However, it was still Leones' night as he exploded for 23 points in the fourth quarter to carry his team for a matchup against Hope in the final.

If there was a stats sheet, the 6ft 1in Filipino would have filled up every department. He ran the point because his team had only seven players and lacked one. But finished with 31 points for the second straight game. He went 15 for 15 from the free-throw line in the final stanza while Asaff missed eight out of their 14 attempts.

"I just took up the challenge as I had a good young player in Aying guarding me in the fourth quarter," said Leones. "I thought that after the technical foul we really had a good chance."

When asked about his free-throw shooting, the 29-year-old replied: "I don't know what happened but it just felt good each time the ball left my hands."

Prior to the match, Albert Cenabre, the head coach of Asaff, said that they needed to play tough defence on Leones and managed it for three quarters limiting him to only eight points before he erupted down the stretch.

MK Kids also did a good job at the defensive end with a box-one strategy by limiting Aying to 10 points.

"We were just out of control and there were times that we just played individually," said Aying.

"There were some bad calls in the match. I would not say that they favoured the other team but I think that there were just some that didn't go our way," added the 23-year-old.

In the other semi-final, Hope pulled off a 68-54 triumph over the GILR Wildcats to enter the final.

Jeff Paraiso had a game-high of 28 points to lead Hope and Marcelino Magaan contributed 16 points. Ronnel Sugnan scored 17 points and Don Dadis Mordeno had 16 points in a losing effort.

The final will be held today at 10.30pm right after the final of the 38 years old and above category at 9pm.

source: The Brunei Times

Streetball: Sold beat Ilocandia in overtime; Pinoy Resources, KTC triumph

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, March 15, 2010

LOSING was not an option for Allan Caringal as he powered Sold to a 76-69 overtime victory over Ilocandia yesterday in Group B of StreetballBrunei 2010.

The Sold centre prevented his team from dropping two straight and was unstoppable on his way to scoring 37 points.

Jansen Santos also contributed 15 points in the victory at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Jeff Ojena and JR Puno each had 20 points for Ilocandia in a losing effort.

Both teams ended the regulation tied at 59 apiece but a good defensive effort by Sold limited Ojena to zero points that settled the tie. In addition, Sold's power forward Renen Mirano stepped up with seven of his nine points coming in overtime.

"We knew that Ojena was the major threat so I had assigned defensive duties for my guards to stick to him to prevent him from delivering," said Paul Balios, coach of Sold, in an interview with The Brunei Times.                                                                                 

It was an equally contested match right from the start but it was Ilocandia who took the initiative with a 14-13 lead going into the second quarter. Sold was putting up a pesky defence that prevented their opponents from executing on offence and Caringal was working hard in the paint, leaving the Ilocandia defence with few answers to his post moves. Sold grabbed a 26-23 lead by halftime.

Sold continued to run their offence through Caringal after the interval. It was a see-saw battle with both teams exchanging baskets for the lead. Ilocandia were settling for more jump shots but the scoreboard read 43-39 in favour of Sold at the end of the third stanza before they settled it in overtime.

"I'm very satisfied with the performance from all the players. They all contributed to the win," said Balios.

In the second match, Pinoy Resources easily defeated Team Committee 97-75 in Group C.

Eight players scored in double figures for Pinoy Resources, with Zaldy Umandap finishing with 14 points while Mark Del Mundo and Josend Mangoroban chipped in 12 points apiece.

Noel Grafil had a game-high 17 points and Bhobby Cama scored 10 points in a losing cause.

In the other game, Kiarong Tuesday Club (KTC) defeated Al Ssarah Eagles 74-60 for their second straight win in Group C.

Bernie Toledo led KTC with 24 points while Ronald Borromeo top scored for Al Ssarah Eagles with 20 points.

source: The Brunei Times
photo by: Yee Chun Leong

FAB: MK Kids take on Asaff at FAB semi-final round

Yee Chun Leong BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, March 14, 2010

MK KIDS know what is required of them in their semi-final Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) game against Asaff today - and that is to play tough defence.

"Asaff is a good team and we know that they're a strong contender for the championship," said MK Kids coach Johari Abdullah, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

Johari pointed to Majomar Aying and Danny Felicilda, the Most Valuable Player of the 3rd Manjaro Cup in October, as the main threats to his team's title aspirations.

"The problem with our team is that we haven't got a proper ball handler but I do think that we might have a slight height advantage (over) our opponents," said Johari.

"We've been working on our defence and some of the set plays. Things have been looking good so far."

On the other hand, Asaff is not taking anything for granted and know they will have to shut down Geve Leones if they want to advance.

"The team is fully prepared and ready for battle. We are trying to learn the MK Kids offence and hope we can stop Geve," said Asaff coach, Albert Cenabre.

"We're not going to be overconfident as it is going to a be a tough match. But we believe that we can win it," added Cenabre, who led Asaff to the final of the 3rd Manjaro Cup.

"We're going to have to up our defence. We've got plenty of shooters on our team and we'll combine that with fast breaks for more points."

Besides Leones, Cenabre picked Benjo Ramos as another problem for his side club to solve.

"He's young and a good player. I believe that we'll have to watch out for him," concluded Cenabre.

Both teams travelled different roads on their way to the semi-finals. MK Kids were pushed all the way by Pizza Hut in their last match but eventually prevailed 97-93 in double overtime last Sunday. Asaff, on the other hand, had it pretty easy, sweeping through their group and winning their last game 79-56 against MDA on Wednesday.

The game will get underway at 9pm.

The other semi-final will feature GILR Wildcats and Hope at 10.30pm.

GILR Wildcats will be powered by their backcourt duo of Ronnel Sugnan and Don Dadis Mordeno and Hope will lean on Jeff Paraiso and Marcelino Magaan to steer them to victory.

source: The Brunei Times