Shirley’s secures playoff seat

  Shirley’s Coffee Shop survived Blue Haus’ fourth quarter rally to pull off a 58-57 victory and win a playoff ticket in the 2nd Domino Lux International Fraternity Basketball Invitational Friendship League last Wednesday night at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court.

Shirley’s finished the round-robin elimination with a 4-5 record and now joins Sunrisers, (7-2), Blue Haus (6-2), Mobil (6-2), QQ Rent A Car (5-4), and Crystal Pure (4-4) to the next round.

Blue Haus, which was hoping to get the No. 1 seeding in the playoffs with a win in their penultimate game, failed to complete the come-from-behind victory when Joemary Tumaquip fumbled in the closing seconds of the match.

Blue Haus had the last possession in the remaining 5.3 seconds of the match after Joemary Tumaquip picked up a loose ball, following the second miss free throw of Shirley’s J.R. Barrios.

With time ticking down, Tumaquip sprinted to their frontcourt, but was too fast for his own good and fumbled the ball. He was called for double dribble as time expired, giving Shirley’s the much-needed win.

Shirley’s got the breaks in the end after wasting a 13-point lead in the fourth and eight-point cushion in the last 1:01 of the match.

Bruce Berline, who was having his way inside the paint against the much smaller Blue Haus frontliners, gave Shirley’s its biggest lead, 51-38, after yet another under goal stab. Blue Haus then had a short 6-0 run to move within seven, 44-51, before both teams went cold four about three minutes.

Rabauliman broke Shirley’s silence with a free throw and made a two-pointer after Ben Petersberg layup, while Blue Haus answered with only three free throws to trail, 47-56. A Berline split made it a 10-point lead, 57-47, with 1:34 left in the match before Blue Haus sliced the lead to single-digit, 49-57, with Leo Itaas baseline shot-the defending champion’s first field goal in about five minutes.

Blue Haus continued its recovery in the closing minute, as it capitalized on the absence of a fouled-out Berline. Elmer Esdrelon split his charities, Itaas canned another baseline basket, and Tumaquip made a tear-drop shot to move Blue Haus within three, 54-57, 23.9 seconds left on the clock.

Shirley’s had the opportunities to wrap up the match, but went 0-for-4 from the foul line before Tim Lang split his charities for their 58-54 advantage, 18.5 ticks to go in the game.

Bernard Aquino cut he lead to three anew with his first free throw. He missed the second one, but Esdrelon got the rebound and made a banked shot for a 58-57 tally, for Shirley’s, 11.3 left in the match.

Blue Haus gave up another foul, but not before Barrios wasted about six seconds on the clock. Barrios trooped to the line for a pair and muffed the first charity. Just before his second shot, Blue Haus was signaling to the referee for a timeout if Barrios hit the last free throw. However, Barrios missed it and Blue Haus had no chance to set up a play, so Tumaquip was force to rush things.

Berline still managed to top-score for Shirley’s despite fouling out, nailing 19 points, while Rabauliman added 17. Tumaquip finished with 13 and was the only Blue Haus player to score in double figures. Blue Haus was a bit off on offense in the first three quarters and then missed a lot of open triples in the fourth, allowing Shirley’s to escape with the one-point win.

Meanwhile, with Shirley’s win, SCS, Andhok’s Grille (3-6), and Hite Beer (3-6) are left to battle for the two remaining playoff berths. An SCS (3-5) win over Crystal Pure tonight will move the former to the next round and a loss will create a three-way tie for the last two semis tickets. In case of a three-team deadlock, points system will be implemented to determine the last two qualifiers. For a two-way tie, the winner-over-the-other rule will be in effect.

Shirley’s 58 – Berline 19, Rabauliman 17, Barrios 7, Norita 6, Petersberg 4, Lang 3, Ito 2.

Blue Haus 57 – Tumaquip 13, Itaas 9, Talania 9, Guiab 8, Fernandez 8, Esdrelon 7, Aquino 2.

Scoring by quarters: 14-11, 29-22, 45-36, 58-57.