Gideon foils Samuel’s bid for sweep

Daniel and Samuel players battle for the rebound during the first half of their game in the Genesis Cup last Thursday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Gideon played a spoiler role as it defeated Samuel, 67-62, in the penultimate game in the adults division of the 5th Genesis Cup Christian Churches Inter-Color Basketball League last Thursday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Gideon’s win foiled Samuel’s bid for a sweep of the regular season. Gideon went on to finish the round-robin play with a 5-2 record for second place, while Samuel still occupied the top spot with its 6-1 mark. Jeremiah also held a 5-2 card, but lost the tiebreak with Gideon and dropped to third, while Ezekiel (4-3) came in at fourth. Caleb (3-4), Daniel (2-5), Joshua (2-5), and Isaiah (0-7) rounded out the field.

All eight teams will advance to the playoffs, which will only start once the regular season games in the youth division are completed. The pairings in the first round are as follows: No. 1 vs 8; No. 2 vs No. 7; No. 3 vs No. 6, and No. 4 vs No. 5.

Gideon handed Samuel its first loss in the league after stunning the top finisher in the first half. Gideon built a double-digit lead, 33-23, after the opening 20 minutes of play. Allan Chavez led Gideon’s good start, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the first half. He also drew ample support from four of his teammates, which contributed at least 4 points apiece.

Samuel, behind Mark Cando, tried to mount a comeback in the second half, but failed to overhaul the lead. Ronald Balte scored 3 straight points in the homestretch and Gatdula added a split free throw to seal it for Gideon.

In the second game, Mark Cabanas had another 40-plus performance to lift Jeremiah to an 81-72 victory over the winless Joshua.

Cabanas, who came from a 45-point explosion in their 83-67 rout of Daniel last Tuesday, had 43 markers against Joshua. He scored 22 straight markers midway in the first half to single-handedly give Jeremiah a 41-37 advantage at the break.

Cabanas’s production offset the combined efforts of Jay Paclibar and Mark Puno and the former kept going in the second half to put Jeremiah in front. Puno led Joshua with his 28 points, while Paclibar finished with 19.

First Game
Gideon 67— Chavez 18, Demapan 12, Darag 10, Balte 9, Dalusung 8, Gatdula 7, De Leon 3,
Samuel 62— Cando 26, Reyes 14, Francia 12, Brillo 5, Robles 5.
Scoring by halves: 33-23, 67-62.

Second Game
Jeremiah 81— Cabanas 43, Cortez 12, Conti 10, Fatialofa 8, Lunzaga 4, Buniag 2,
Joshua 72 — Puno 28, Paclibar 19, Daluyen 17, Omampo 8.
Scoring by halves: 40-37, 81-72.