Blue Haus, SCS end season with wins

Blue Haus/QQ Car Rental and SCS Heavy Equipment wrapped up the regular season of the 2011 DLX Basketball Invitational Friendship League on a positive note.

Blue Haus had its last game of the season last Thursday at the Gualo Rai Court and defeated SCS, 91-85. The match was a make-up one and was played first on Nov. 25 with Blue Haus on top at halftime, 41-31, before rain halted the game.

At the resumption of the action, Blue Haus protected the double-figure lead against the depleted SCS crew before the latter sliced the margin to single digit as the former let its guard down in the closing seconds of the game when the win was already in the bag.

Leo Itaas, who had 10 points in the first half, top-scored for Blue Haus with 22, while Badong Camacho and Brendo Talania chipped in 18 and 14, respectively. Itaas and Talania hit timely baskets in the fourth to foil the repeated comeback bids of the five-man crew SCS.

Blue Haus finished the round-robin regular season with a 7-1 record for second place in the final team standings behind the undefeated MDX (8-0).

Robert Guiang led SCS’ losing cause with 20 markers, while Rocyl Ritual contributed 17. Edong Echavez and Manolo Manalo added 10 apiece for SCS, which missed big man Glenn Aquino, burly forward Jessie Mina, shooter Gilbert Miranda, and point guard Jun Pantaleon in the resumption of the game.

After bowing to Blue Haus, SCS recovered and closed out the regular season with a 92-90 triumph over Sherwin Williams last Friday.

SCS wrapped up the elimination round at third place with its 6-2 card, while Sherwin Williams had a 3-5 card for fifth place.

SCS fell behind by as much as 11 points in the first half, but managed to overhaul Sherwin William’s lead at the start of the second half after a 29-12 scoring in the third period.

Pantaleon led the third-quarter surge, drilling 11 of his 20 points to turn a 39-50 deficit to a 68-62 advantage, entering the fourth quarter.

Then in the fourth quarter, Mina picked up where Pantaleon left off, as the former drained 12 big markers, while Tobias scored SCS’ last four points to complete the come-from-behind win.

Mina led all scorers with his 25 markers and all five SCS starters finished in double figures with Echavez nailing 20 and Manalo and Tobias tallying 17 and 10, respectively.

With the regular season in the books now, DLX will resume action next year with the first round of the single-elimination playoffs.

The first pairing in the playoffs will have the top-ranked MDX battling the winless Pacific Postal (0-8) at 6pm on Jan. 4. In the second game at 8pm, Blue Haus will take on FGC (1-6). Then in the second day of the playoffs on Jan.6, SCS will meet 8th Division (3-5) at 6pm, while Wushin Express (5-3) and Sherwin Williams (3-5) will collide at 8pm.

Blue Haus/QQ Car Rental 91 – Itaas 22, B. Camacho 18, Talania 14, Abedes 8, Sison 7, Fernandez 6, Cruz 5, Olivos 2, E. Camacho 1.

SCS 85 – Guiang 20, Ritual 17, Echavez 10, Manalo 10, Pantaleon 7, Mina 6, Miranda 5, Tobias 4, Aquino 2.

Scoring by quarters: 18-9, 41-31, 65-55, 91-85.

SCS 92 – Mina 25, Pantaleon 20, Echavez 20, Manalo 17, Tobias 10.

Sherwin Williams 92 – Reyes 23, Mallari 20, Galzote 12, Dayrit 12, Navarro 10, Morales 6.

Scoring by quarters: 23-19, 39-50, 68-62, 92-90.