CECABA All-Stars annihilate CDS five

CEBU - Chester Cokaliong kept on turning back the hands of time. And he’s getting even better. The revered shipping tycoon turned hardcourt sharp-shooter bombed out 16 triples of his year-best 56 points as the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association (CECABA) All-Stars annihilated Cebu Dental Society (CDS), 130-71, in their goodwill encounter last Sunday at the Our Lady of sacred Heart Parish gym along Escario Street, this city.

Cokaliong nearly scored another clean sweep, missing only the free throw shooting crown snatched by CDS’ Gunther Seroy. He took the first runner-up honors but not without going through three 9-1 deadlocks with Ryan Ceniza.

In the 3-point shootout, Cokaliong topped the elimination with 15 points and then charted 17 points in the final round to capture his 19th 3-point king title. CECABA’s Ryan Alexis Mendez placed second with 13 markers.

Prior to that, Cokaliong teamed up with his younger brother Christopher and they were the only pair from the CECABA side to proceed into the championship of the 2-ball contest.

The Cokaliong siblings did not let their fellow Easternians down as they survived a battle of nerves to fend off the gritty CDS tandem of Mike Ouano and Ryan Ceniza by just seven points, 43-36. It was Cokaliong’s 13th 2-ball plum and his second with his brother as partner.

Cokaliong put the provervial icing on his victory cake by hitting 60 percent from beyond the arc and picking up three steals to claim his third straight All-Star MVP award and 11th overall in his decorated career.He sank 12 triples of his 42 points against USJ-R Padres Recoletos last July 13 and then bombarded 13 treys in their 134-104 demolition of LGU Boljoon two weeks ago at the Boljoon Sports and Cultural Center.

Against CDS, Cokaliong once again transformed the City Sports Club gym into a virtual shooting gallery. He knocked in five triples of his 19 points in the first half to power the CECABA stars to a commanding 69-42 lead at the intermission.

With Cokaliong still on the firing end, the CECABA stalwarts mercilessly pounded the hapless CDS cagers in the third period, 34-9, to mount an eye-popping 52-point advantage, 103-51, heading into the final 10-minute zone of the contest.

Cokaliong punched in seven more triples as CECABA dealt CDS its final wave of attack, 27-16, to seal the 59-point massacre.

Thus, CECABA bettered its win-loss-draw record to 16-4-1 since they started playing exhibition games with a 93-77 rout of the Rama Boys on November 16, 2003.

Mendez pitched in 15 points for CECABA, while Christopher Cokaliong and Stephen Tan connived for 21 markers. Clint Bacalla paced CDS with 14 points followed by Gunther Seroy with 13, Erwin Valiente with 11 and Earl Atundocan with 10.

CDS’ showdown with CECABA was made possible through the support of PRS Technologies, Arcilla Dental Clinic, Our Lady of Rule Maternity Hospital, Ceniza-Ouano Dental Clinic, Oro Dent Dental Clinic, Metro Cebu Oral Rehab Center, Interdent Netcafe, Cebu Dentcraft, Ident, and Bacalla and Associates.

The scores

CECABA (130) —Ches. Cokaliong 56, Mendez 15, Chris. Cokaliong 11, Tan 10, Sia 9, R. Yu 8, Kaw 8, W. Yu 8, Lanutan 5

CDS (71)—Bacalla 14, Seroy 13, Valiente 11, Atundocan 10, Arcilla 7, Acorin 6, Ceniza 4, Evardo 4, Ouano 2

Quarterscores:33-20, 69-42, 103-51, 130-71. (THE FREEMAN)