Blue Haus, QQ dispute DLX title tomorrow

 Blue Haus and QQ Rent A Car collided in the opening game of the 2nd Domino Lux International Fraternity Basketball Invitational Friendship League and tomorrow they will close out the season as they square off for the championship.

The title game is set for 8pm at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court with Blue Haus aiming for back-to-back titles after winning the inaugural DLX/Miller Lite caging last year against MDX, 70-43.

Blue Haus started its title defense against QQ on Feb. 11 and won the season opener, 74-64, needing an extra five minutes to thwart the latter. The defending champion went on to finish the regular season with a 6-3 record for third place in the team standings, but dropped its last two games in the elimination, while QQ placed fourth with its 5-4 mark winning two of their last three matches.

QQ then made it to the finals after ousting the hard-fighting Crystal Pure in overtime, 78-75, and stunning pennant champions Sunrisers, 94-86. Blue Haus took the other finals berth after eliminating Shirley’s Coffee Shop, 72-60, and surviving Andhok’s Grille, 65-63.

All the statistics in the previous games will not matter anymore, as Blue Haus and QQ plays only in a one-game finals tomorrow. It will be back to square one for the two finalists, as they are pretty much evenly match, especially on the guard and small forward spots.

QQ has the explosive Elgene Mangali, who averaged 24.5 points in the first two playoff games. Backing him up are Rolly Paraiso, Lerio Pagarao, and Wowie Abuel, who all averaged in double figures in their first two playoff wins. Pagarao and Abuel averaged 12.5 and 11.5 points in the first two victories. Paraiso normed 18 points, but he is more of a defensive gem than an offensive asset for QQ, as shown in his hustle on the boards.

QQ also has four players averaging in double figures in the first two games of the playoffs with Elmer Esdrelon leading the team with 17, Junar Guiab posting 12.5, and Brendon Talania and Bernard Aquino tallying 12 and 11, respectively. Jomary Tumaquip only scored five points in the first two wins, but was steady at the point guard spot for Blue Haus.

With both teams having dependable backcourt starters, the battle in the paint will be crucial and this is where Blue Haus may have a slight edge with the veteran Guiab and lanky forwards Badong Camacho and Leo Itaas on its roster. Larry Sharry, who missed a lot of games in the regular season due to injury before returning to the playoffs, can also pull off a surprise, along with valuable reserve Sam Fernandez.

With Blue Haus having the minor advantage in the paint, QQ will need quality minutes from reserve guards Dan Mateo, Edwin Camacho, and Marlon Sison, who scored 11 points off the bench in their upset over the Sunrisers. Mateo and Camacho combined for eight points and did a great job pressuring Sunrisers’ ballhandlers and hustling for loose balls.

Arthur Montes, which made a couple of big plays in the closing minutes of their win against QQ, will have to hold his ground against Camacho and Guiab to boost QQ’s championship chances, while George Cruz’s nose for offensive rebounds will give his team a lift. Melvin Capalad, who is coming off an injury, can also be an asset for QQ because he is familiar with the tendencies of Blue Haus players, as he had played with them in past years.

Meanwhile, before the finals, the Sunrisers will take on Crystal Pure in the battle for third place at 6:30pm.