Ali’i Konflikt hands Mobil first loss

MAFEA/Ali’i Konflikt secured its second straight victory after stunning the then undefeated Bayani/Mobil, 79-76, in the UFO Inter-Organization Basketball Friendship League 2011 Bud Cup on Tuesday night at the TSL Sports Complex.

Ali’i Konflikt threw jabs at Mobil in the first three quarters and then unleashed the killer blows in the fourth to start a winning streak after losing their first two matches. Mobil dropped to a 3-1 record, leaving Namfrel/Proa (2-0) as the lone unbeaten team in the nine-field squad.

The defending champion notched the win after almost losing the match by forfeiture. Ali’i Konflikt had only four players available for the match when the starting buzzer sounded. League organizers gave the defending champion the standard 15-minute forfeiture time and with about five minutes left, Jawn Joyner came to complete the starting five. Other Ali’i Konflikt players arrived in the second quarter.

Despite being outnumbered by the 12-man roster of Mobil, Ali’i Konflikt hung in there and even had the lead most of the time in the first half. Mobil failed to capitalize on Ali’i Konflikt’s depleted crew early on and was a bit complacent in the first half, while the latter kept its nose for loose balls and were more active on fastbreak plays and offensive rebounds.

By the end of the third period, Ali’i Konflikt threatened to pull away, leading by nine, 59-50. A quick 4-0 scoring with only less than a minute gone by in the fourth stretched the advantage to 13. Ali’i Konflikt led by as much as 16 midway in the fourth before Jun Estolas anchored a Mobil comeback.

Estolas’ 3-point play sliced the lead to six, 65-71, with 3:27 left on the clock. However, Ali’i Konflikt regrouped and answered with a short 6-0 run for a 77-69 cushion, 1:08 to go in the match.

After Estolas’ three points, Mobil had a chance to move further when Ali’i Konflikt made a couple of misses in their offensive sets. However, Peter Lizama also muffed a layup and when Ali’i Konflikt picked up the rebound, Jawn Joyner broke free for a fastbreak layup. Another Mobil miss returned possession to Ali’i Konflikt and with the 24-second shot clock ticking, Elmer Esdrelon connected on a floater, giving his team a 75-69 lead.

After his crucial basket, Esdrelon made a big defensive stop, picking Jorge De Guzman’s pocket and later feeding Ivan Devero for another fastbreak basket, 77-69.

Mobil tried to bounce back anew behind the successive baskets of Estolas, but ran out of time.

Devero led all scorers with his 26 points despite reporting for the game late in the first period, while Joyner added 14. Esdrelon chipped in 11.

Estolas scored 22, but most of his baskets came in the fourth quarter when MAFEA started loosening up a bit on defense. Gyles Ruluked contributed 14, but was held to only one field goal in the second half.

In the masters division, MDX/Armatech had a rousing debut after routing MAFEA/RNV, 110-77.

MDX’s guards did most of the damages for the team with Martin Moreno exploding for 21 points and James Abuy tallying 28. Ariel Jinang, Bernard Montano, and Ferdie Tobias also finished in double figures and combined for 32 markers.

The winning team compensated for its lack of ceiling by playing a fast-paced game and shooting from outside. MDX had eight triples and made most of them unchallenged, as MAFEA/RNV players were a step slow on extending their defense. MDX also walked away with easy fastbreak layups, capitalizing on MAFEA’s failure to go back to transition defense quickly.

MDX pressed on the pedal at the start of the second half, turning a 43-38 lead to a big 72-63 advantage. Abuy and Moreno led the juggernaut, combining for 17 points in the third period. MDX outgunned MAFEA in the third, 29-15, to pull away.

MDX/Armatech 110 – Moreno 31, Abuy 28, Jinang 14, Montano 11, Tobias 10, Trajano 8, Banatasa 6, Crisostimo 4.

MAFEA/RNV 77 – Pineda 16, Manalili 14, Bicera 12, Cosino 10, Vistal 8, Guirey 7, Dela Torre 6, Sevilla 2.

Scoring by quarters: 12-16, 43-36, 72-53, 110-77.

MAFEA/Ali’i Konflikt 79 – Devero 26, Joyner 14, Esdrelon 11, Mendoza 9, Guiab 6, Talania 5, Tumaquip 2, Barrios 2.

Bayani/Mobil 76 – Estolas 22, Ruluked 14, Gamboa 10, Aughenbaugh 7, Lizama 6, De Guzman 5, Sharry 4, Fernando 4.

Scoring by quarters: 20-19, 42-36, 59-50, 79-76.