Chiang Kai Shek downs Hope for Seaoil MMBL crown

MANILA, Philippines – “It’s not the Tiong Lian,” said Chiang Kai Shek College Blue Dragons head coach Goldwyn Monteverde. “But this is not so bad.”

The Blue Dragons defeated their Tiong Lian Basketball Association rival Hope Christian High School, 82-75, to claim the 2014 Seaoil Metro Manila Basketball League Division One championship at a jam-packed San Beda College gym last Sunday, February 2.

The Tiong Lian Basketball Association is in hiatus this year due to internal differences in recruiting. Hope Christian is the defending TLBA and Seaoil MMB champion.

CKSC wrested control of the game in the middle of the third period behind the play of point guard Memet Ascano and power forward Meds Salim.

Ascano drilled back-to-back triples for a 50-44 lead. Salim gave HCHS’s much-ballyhooed frontline of John Apacible and Tzaddy Rangel all they could handle with strong play inside. The 6’4” Salim, a graduating student, scored 24 huge points all inside the paint including 13 in the last 15 minutes.

HCHS was unable to draw strong performances from its usual cast of players from point guards Mark Nunez and Kurt Trangia and forward Kenneth Sumalacay and James Galoso. They did get back shooting guard Arjan de la Cruz who missed the semifinals win over NU due to illness. De la Cruz scored 13 points in the losing cause.

Down by five, 57-52, after three period of play, the defending champions stayed within striking distance of CKSC behind third year guard Jollo Go.

Go scored 12 points in the final period including a triple from the deep right corner to tie the match at 72-all with 3:33 left. But the Blue Dragons responded with a crippling 9-0 run behind Salim and Ascano with back-up guard Van Pilanga drilling a killer of a triple at the tailend.

Go fired in one more triple to cut the lead to 81-75 before fouling out with 17.2 seconds left but star shooting guard JV Gallego, in the midst of a wretched scoring game, added one free throw to close out the scoring.

Backing up Salim in the scoring, Ascano scored 13 points including three triples while Gallego chipped in 10.

Jollo Go match Salim’s 24-point output while outgoing center Apacible added 17.

The 2014 Seaoil MMBL is second championship victory over HCHS in the last six months. Last August, the Blue Dragons defeated Hope Christian in the Filipino Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation. CKSC could win a grand slam of sorts should they win the Seaoil National Basketball Training Center championship this March 9.

“Masarap ‘tong feeling na to lalo na manalo against Hope,” added Monteverde. “Talagang walang bigayan na basketball. Laban kung laban. The boys worked for this.”

In the other division championships, Colegio de San Benildo won its second straight Division Two championship at the expense of Trinity University of Asia, 78-63. CoSB Blazing Wolves shooting guard Dunray Geraldo opened the third period with three consecutive triples from which the Stallions never recovered.

Jubilee Christian Academy displayed uncanny marksmanship and team play in dispatching San Beda College-Alabang, 90-69, for the Division Four title. Jubilee opened the game with a 12-0 salvo and it was pretty much over from there as the Red Cubs didn’t have any answers.

Jubilee hiked the lead up to 40 but San Beda whittled down the lead to 19 in the fourth. Paolo Lim topscored for Jubilee with 22 points many of them on scintillating drives where he sidestepped lead-footed defenders. Point guard Miko Cheng likewise carved up the opposing defense with his drives for 17 points.

Eric Vijandre led San Beda with 17 points.

In the Girls’ Division, powerful Chiang Kai Shek College made it a double with a 109-72 win over La Salle College of Antipolo. Je Anne Carmelo scored 54 points including eight 3-pointers.