CEBU, Philippines — Vaunted hardcourt sniper Chester Cokaliong is sharp as ever.
Not even a three-year hiatus from an exhibition game could alter even just a little bit of his lethal shooting form.
Cokaliong dropped 20 3-point bombs of his 64 points to power the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association (CECABA) All-Stars to a 130-95 obliteration of the defending champion GMA-7/DYSS in their goodwill encounter that kicked off the 2018 Newsmen Basketball Association of Cebu (NBAC) season last Sunday at the Chiang Kai Shek Gymnasium of Cebu Eastern College (CEC).
It was the first time in three years that the CECABA stars figured in a friendly match. The last was when they decimated the CECABA selection, 143-94, behind Cokaliong's 89 points spiked with 25 triples on July 12, 2015 at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Flashing the same brilliance, Cokaliong rifled 11 triples of his 37 points in the first half to help CECABA mount an 18-point advantage, 68-50, at halftime. The decorated Cebuano businessman/sportsman banked in nine more shots from the beyond the arc in the final two quarters to seal the 35-point blowout.
Interestingly, CECABA completed the walk in the park victory sans three of its key players in Earn Saguindel, Paul Martin Gabatan, and Mark Eugene Bukiron who did not play due to varying reasons.
In their absence, Jesse Pastor Magno gamely stepped up to back up Cokaliong with 16 points. Man mountain Ricky Yu scored 10 points, while Joseph James Yu and Dean Dy Teves had a combined total of 18 points for the jubilant Easternians under the behest of coach Jojo Romarate Teves.
Julius Vidal topscored for GMA-7/DYSS with 24 points followed by Gabriel Bonjoc with 21 markers. Jun Solon tossed in 17 points, while reigning WBA Interim featherweight champion Jhack 'El Capitan' Tepora, a guest player, finished with 14 points in a losing effort.
The scores
CECABA All-Stars (130) – Cokaliong 64, Magno 16, R. Yu 10, J. Yu 9, Teves 9, Lanutan 6, Babor 5, Wang 4, Tan 4, Chan 3
GMA-7/DYSS (95) – Vidal 24, Bonjoc 21, Solon 17, Tepora 14, Patricio 4, Castaños 4, Quiñones 2, Obiso 2, Gezim 2, Magdadaro 2
Quarterscores: 31-26;68-50;105-73;130-95. (EBV)