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LIPS’ Abuy wins 3-point shootout
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Posted on Mar 13 2006
Mobil-LIPS swingman James Abuy edged last year’s champion Bryan Flores of SIP-Flor A. Miranda to win the Budweiser-Coca Cola 6th Annual UFO Inter-Organizational Basketball League Three-Point Shootout held Sunday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Abuy, a last-minute replacement for the team’s do-it-all forward Kevin Cequena, fired 12 points in the finals to Flores’ 11 to bag this year’s rainbow shootout crown, which was staged prior to Game 2 of the best-of-three series between Cabalen-RP Construction/Transamerica and SIP (See related story).
The Pacific Islands Club employee actually started a bit cold and connected on only six points in the first round, which was topped by Flores and SMF-Seabridge gunner Sonny Lerio, who both fired eight points apiece.
Flores continued his strong performance in the second round and tossed in 11 more points to up his two-round total to 19 points, but Abuy made up for his poor start with an eye-popping 15 points in the second to finish with 21. He and Flores thus advanced to the finals.
Lerio, for his part, only matched his first round performance with another eight points and tumbled out of contention with 16 points.
In the winner-take-all finals, Abuy did just enough with a dozen points to nip Flores, who could only muster 11 points.
The 36-year-old, who played a year of college ball at Technological University of the Philippines, said he is dedicating his win to the Lord, family, and friends.
He said he didn’t expect to win, but knew if he gets hot, he always has a chance to be one of the better shooters in the league. Abuy arrived on Saipan in 1999 and also plays for Microl-Toyota in the Mobil co-ed league. He was a vital cog in the team’s 2002 championship run.
Cabalen shooter Ed Palma (17 points), 287 Club-McDonald’s Joseph Achas (13), Visminda-Tambayan/Nel Atalig guard Bing Marasigan (nine), MDX-Armatech forward Melvin Capalad (nine), and Bibak-Island Card’s Amorsolo Casabuena (nine), make up the rest of the participants in the 3-point contest.
