Hite Beer tosses down first victory; Blue Haus nears win

  Hite Beer/Blue Haus barged into the win column of the 2nd Domino Lux International Fraternity/Miller Lite Basketball Invitational Friendship League after routing Andhok’s Grille, 77-60, last Wednesday night at the Gualo Rai Basketbal Court.

The Hite Beer-Andhok’s Grille tiff was the lone match completed last Wednesday night. The second game between Blue Haus and Sunrisers was rained-out just before the fourth quarter started with the former enjoying a 69-53 advantage.

With the victory, Hite Beer moved up to the middle of the pack in the 10-team field with its 1-1 record. The game against Andhok’s was Hite Beer’s third of the season, but its debut match over Crystal Pure/Mekeni Abe was rained-out at halftime with the latter on top, 28-25. Hite Beer then dropped its second game against SCS Heavy Equipment Rental, 57-60.

Andhok’s Grille, which came off a big 92-69 win over the defending champion Blue Haus, played flat against Hite Beer, failing to get production from Raymark Castro, Gino Libuw, John Artates, and Tim Wesley.

Libuw, who had 17 against Blue Haus, was held to two field goals and six points, while Castro made only four markers, way below his 20-point output in their previous game. Artates tallied only two after making 13 against Blue Haus, while Wesley did not play. Three Andhok’s Grille players scored in double figures with Mike Umali nailing 12 before fouling out in the closing minute of the match and White Capalad and Mike Olaitiman adding 11 and 10, respectively, while the rest struggled

Alex Lauron top-scored for Hite Beer with 19, including a triple at the buzzer past the midcourt area, while Ivan Devero contributed 16.

Lauron and company only trailed in the first period, but had the game in control in the last three quarters en route to the easy win. Capalad knocked in nine early points to end the opening period with Andhok’s Grille ahead, 20-18, before his brilliance faded in the ensuing quarters.

Hite grabbed the lead at the break, 34-32, after outgunning Andhok’s Grille in the second canto, 16-12, and stretched the margin to nine after holding the latter to 10 points. Then in the fourth quarter, Hite went all out, scoring 26 markers with Lauron drilling the team’s last seven points.

Not even a rain-delay in the last one minute of the match could prevent Hite from blowing out Andhok’s Grille.

In the second game, Blue Haus had to wait for one more quarter before pocketing its second victory and ending the Sunrisers’ two-game winning streak.

The defending champion was on top by 16 at the end of the third canto when heavy rains forced the rescheduling of the game on a later date.

Blue Haus fell behind after the first quarter, 18-20, before wrestling the driver’s seat in the second period and padding the lead to as much as 20 in the third frame.

Elmer Esdrelon scored Blue Haus’ first 11 points in the second quarter, while Junar Guiab finished the job in that period, nailing eight of the team’s last 13 markers to put the defending champion on top, 42-29.

The Sunrisers were held to nine markers with only Jawn Joyner making more than one field goal in the second canto. Preston Basa, who had an explosive game from downtown in their last win, failed to hit a single three in the first three quarters and has only scored two points.

After the break, Esdrelon and Guiab continued to team up on offense, combining for 14 markers, giving Blue Haus its biggest lead, 67-47, before the Sunrisers closed out the quarter with a 6-2 scoring to cut the lead to 16.

Actually, the Sunrisers managed to move within seven early in the third, 44-51, after Joyner’s triple, before Esdrelon and Guiab made rally halting baskets with their drive and drop plays.

The fourth quarter of the Blue Haus-Sunrisers game will be scheduled on a later date.

First Game

Hite Beer/ Blue Haus 77 – Lauron 19, Devero 16, Cabrera 9, Tenorio 9, Z. Babauta 5, Diaz 4, R. Babauta 3, Lisua 2, Palacios 2.

Andhok’s Grille 60 – Umali 12, Capalad 11, Olaitiman 10, Saplan 7, Libuw 6, Camacho 6, Castro 4, Llagas 2, Garcia 2.

Scoring by quarters: 18-20, 34-32, 51-42, 77-60.