Blue Haus clinches DLX championship

 MDX choke in the finals after sweeping the regular season, allowing Blue Haus to steal the inaugural championship in the 2011 DLX  Basketball Invitational Friendship League.

Blue Haus cruised to a masterful 70-43 victory in the winner-take-all finals last Friday night at the Gualo Rai Court Basketball for an upset  against MDX, which was undefeated in 10 games before facing the former for all the marbles last weekend.

The one-game finale was a hit and miss case with Blue Haus pushing all the right buttons to dominate the championship match and MDX struggling both on both ends of the court.

Blue Haus run a patient offense, swinging the ball around to find the open man and then making the move in the last 10 seconds of the 24-shot clock. Blue Haus was called for 24-second shot clock violation only twice, but had a handful of baskets off drop and kickoff passes.

Badong Camacho was the recipient of most of those extra feeds, as he loitered in the paint and made a bundle from the baseline and also hit numerous short jumpers to finish with a game-high 21 points and win the Final MVP award. Another big man-George Cruz-gave Blue Haus a big lift, collaring offensive rebounds for putbacks. Cruz’s contribution was crucial, as Jun Abedes got into foul trouble early.

Completing Blue Haus’ balance attack were guards Brandon Talania and Edwin Camacho, who combined for 23 points, conniving in a couple of fastbreak breaks and long jumpers. Marlon Sison, Sam Fernandez, and Leo Itaas also had their share in the pie, teaming up for 13 markers and giving their starters a breather.

Eight of nine Blue Haus players scored with only playing coach Dante Olivos failing to lit up the scoreboard, as he opted to pass the ball often when he checked in at the closing minutes of the match.

Now for MDX, the curse of sweeping the regular season only to lose the most important game in the league hit the pennant champion.

MDX was in a disarray on offense, as it failed to get its fastbreak game going, missed a lot from downtown, and was pushed out of the shaded lane. MDX was held to one field goal in the first 4:30 of the match and Blue Haus raced to an early 11-3 lead. The struggle continued until the first six minutes of the second quarter, as MDX’s score was still in single digit, 9-23. The first half ended with Blue Haus enjoying a 30-14 advantage.

The scores breakdown for MDX was very disappointing with eventual regular season MVP Alex Lauron held to one point, Zack Babauta scoreless, Ben Lisua limited to two points, and Ziddy Johanes and Mike Palacios nailed four points each.

In their semis win against Wushin Express, Lauron finished with nine and was a force in the paint, but Blue Haus’ double teaming defense at the post pushed him out of his comfort zone. Babauta muffed all his shots in the first half and he and Johanes failed to team up in MDX’s potent fastbreak play. Lisua, who had 24 points in the semis win, failed to can a single shot from downtown to finish with only five points and also had a hard time penetrating Blue Haus’ baseline defense, while Palacios went in and out of the court, as he was saddled by fouls.

MDX fans hoped for a big second-half turnaround, but things just went from bad into worse for the pennant champion.

MDX drilled only two field goals in the first six minutes of the third period, allowing Blue Haus to take its biggest lead, 43-18, after Talania’s triple off another kick-off pass. MDX finally managed to shoot up its scoring in the 20s with a string of points from Lisua and Dexter Tenorio, but Blue Haus still maintained a double-digit lead at the end of the third, 46-28.

In the fourth quarter, Babauta hit his first field goal-a triple-while Tenorio fired six straight points, as MDX threatened a comeback, 37-50. However, that was the closest MDX could get, as Blue Haus regrouped with Camacho making back-to-back baskets and two free throws and forcing Alex Lauron to give up two quick fouls early in the fourth. Lauron left the game with still over eight minutes left and that sealed the doom for MDX.

By the end of the buzzer, which sounded after Marlon Sison hit an triple to put the exclamation mark on Blue Haus’ emphatic win, only one MDX player broke into double figures with Tenorio tallying 11. MDX made only one triple, a far cry from its nine treys in the semis.

Blue Haus 70 – B. Camacho 21, Talania 14, E. Camacho 9, Abedes 9, Itaas 8, Cruz 7, Sison 3, Fernandez 3.

MDX 43 – Tenorio 11, Palacios 8, Johanes 8, Lisua 5, Babauta 3, Jeong 2, Lauron 1.

Scoring by quarters: 17-9, 30-14, 46-28, 70-43.