Red nips Blue in JP World All-Star Game

Red Team’s Dixon Kwon pulls up for an off-balance shot against Blue Team’s Matt Duenas, left, and Fred Litulumar during the fourth quarter of the JP World league’s All-Star Game last Monday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Red Team nosed out Blue Team, 106-104, in the All-Star Game in the 2nd JP World Corp. Customer Appreciation Basketball League last Monday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Sid Quan drilled the winning basket in the closing seconds of the match that was supposed to be a friendly one, but turned out as a competitive game with neither team willing to give in.

The All-Star match was so tightly contested that no squad led by more than 8 points and there were several deadlocks with the last one at 104-all after Elmer Esdrelon made a putback off a miss from Derrick Rangamar’s up-and-under move, 22 seconds left on the clock.

Red Team sued for time after Blue Team equalized and when the game resumed, the former worked the ball around and used some time before Quan pulled the trigger and hit the dagger from the right baseline. Quan had earlier found himself open at the same spot, but he hesitated because when he glanced at the clock, he saw there were still 10 seconds left. He opted to swing the ball back to Angelo Fernando, who then drove to the basket and drew two Blue Team defenders before returning the ball to Quan for the go-ahead basket.

After Quan’s jumper, Blue Team was left with 3 seconds to make the last play in the match. Blue Team was then pressed to call a timeout and at the resumption of the game, Matt Duenas did the inbound and passed the ball to Esdrelon near the left corner, but the latter could not pull up for a shot as the long arms of Quan and Dixon Kwon were around him. Esdrelon was forced to throw the ball to Michael Achas at the left key, but the former was also fully covered and still had the ball when time expired.

Red Team escaped with the win despite wasting a 5-point cushion, going into the one minute and change of the close match. Esdrelon wiped out Red Team’s lead and set up the nth deadlock in the game, 99-all, with a turnaround jumper and a step-back triple, 1:36 left on the clock.

Two defensive lapses from Blue Team in the ensuing plays resulted to an Alex Lauron easy layup and a split free throw from Ivan Devero that gave Red Team a 102-99 lead, 1:01 remaining in the game. Blue Team then tied the match anew off Michael Achas’ two charities and Duenas’ split off a foul from Kwon. After Achas’ pair of free throws, Kwon turned the ball over past midcourt and Duenas picked it up, driving to the basket and drawing contact on the Red Team wingman. Duenas’ first attempt from the foul line rimmed out, but his second hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

Kwon then made up for his booboo in the ensuing play as after Fernando missed a right baseline jumper, the former got the ball Lauron tapped out in the rebound play and hit a banked shot to put Red Team back in the driver’s seat, 104-102, with 29.5 seconds of the match.

Down, but definitely not out, Blue Teams called its penultimate timeout and had Rangamar attacking the basket at the resumption of the game. He overshot his mark, but fortunately, Esdrelon was there for the follow-up and the game-tying basket.

Esdrelon’s big basket, however, was countered by Quan’s jumper that gave the All-Star Game championship trophy to the Blue Team.

Quan was among six Red Team players to score in double figures, as he finished with 18 points. Kwon led Red Team with his 23 markers. Ivan Devero chipped in 21, while Lauron and Fernando added 12 apiece, and Tony Diaz contributed 10.

Duenas had 37 for Blue Team, which got 29 markers from Esdrelon. Rangamar registered 15.

Red Team 106 – Kwon 23, Devero 21, Quan 18, Lauron 12, Fernando 12, Diaz 10, Sanciangco 6, Benavente 2, Poquiz 2.

Blue Team 104 – Duenas 37, Esdrelon 29, Rangamar 15, Litulumar 9, M. Achas 7, Velasco 3, Kaipat 2, Arreza 2.

Scoring by quarters: 29-23, 57-50, 78-74, 106-104.