CECABA All-Stars set up finals duel vs. SCBHABA

The Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association (CECABA) All-Stars and San Carlos Boys High Alumni Basketball Association (SCBHABA) nipped separate foes to set up a best-of-three titular showdown in the 2006 Executives Cup basketball tournament at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.

Still armed with excellent defensive shield, the Pilipinas Shell-backed CECABA All-Stars ripped Team Barkada, 77-66, while SCBHABA-M. Lhuillier fended off a gallant resistance by the exuberant Jaycees Basketball Association (JBA)-Purcia Transport/Crunchicken to scrape through a precarious 87-82 win.

Already in the finals with similar 2-0 slates, the CECABA All-Stars and SCBHABA reduced their 7:30 pm duel this Tuesday into a non-bearing match although it is still of high significance considering that it's a championship preview with a lot of pride at stake for both teams.

The winner, for sure, will enjoy the needed morale-booster heading into the series opener on Thursday. Game 2 is slated on August 22, while the deciding game, if necessary, will be played on August 24.

For the second straight game, coach Elmer "Boy" Cabahug saw the positive effects of his brazen move, transforming the highly offensive CECABA All-Stars into a defense-oriented squad.

Proof to that, the CECABA All-Stars shut down Barkada's run-and-gun game and never looked back after jumping off to a sizzling 9-0 start. After padding their lead to 41-26 at halftime, the Easternians kept their double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Top center Sammy Sia had his finest game of the season with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists, although it was flashy guard Joel Chan who copped the game MVP honors with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.

Forward Wilson Yu had another big night, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Richard Yu added 14 points and five rebounds, Chester Cokaliong added eight markers spiked with a pair of 3-pointers, while Erwin Yu scored only four but donated six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

In the main game, SCBHABA almost tasted defeat in the face of a spirited challenge by the never-say-die JBA Selection, which controlled the entire game until the final 54 seconds when SCBHABA knotted the count at 52-all.

Bull-strong forward Dindo Sausa played the hero's role for SCBHABA as he erupted with 34 points, 18 in the fourth quarter including the team's last five points that bailed them out of danger.

Sausa completed a three-point play to make it 85-82 for SCBHABA with 18 ticks to go before the final buzzer. He was later fouled and calmly dropped his charities to peg the final canto and extinguish JBA's quest to forge a rubbermatch.

Paul Abais added 17 points and Virgil Pua added 16 as SCBHABA advanced into the championship round for the first time in three years.

The CECABA All-Stars, on the other hand, barged into the finals for the second consecutive season despite entering the semifinal phase as the fourth-seed in those instances.

The scores

First game

CECABA All-Stars (77) - Sia 18, W. Yu 17, R. Yu 14, Chan 12, Cokaliong 8, E. Yu 4, S. Tan 4

Barkada (66) - P. Yu 20, Lim 12, Molina 11, Zamora 9, Mante 5, De la Calzada 5, Borres 2, Prieto 2

Second game

SCBHABA (87) - Sausa 34, Abais 17, Pua 16, Banaag 7, Diaz 4, Amores 4, Zanoria 2, Monsanto 2

JBA (82) - Jayme 23, Odulio 18, Noel 18, Coros 10, Cortez 7, Rosal 6