White Haus, Team Sawi enter semis

White Haus’ Darwin Barbo, right, is hounded by Tropang Ridhors’ Ken Viray, left, and Mike Surima during the third quarter of their playoff game in the IT&E-sponsored Ali’i Blue Haus caging last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The semis cast in the 2nd Ali’i Blue Haus Invitational Basketball League is now complete after Team Sawi and White House eliminated their respective playoff foes last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

The No. 6 seed Team Sawi earned the third Final Four berth following a 79-70 upset over the third-ranked Black Mamba, 79-70, while No. 5 White Haus got the fourth and last semis ticket after ousting No. 4 Tropang Ridhors, 91-85.

Darwin Barbo anchored White Haus’ victory, as he exploded for 45 points, including three clutch free throws that sealed the team’s spot to the semifinals. Arjay Nonato also scored in double figures with 15, 5 of them came in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to help White Haus foil Tropang Ridhors’s comeback bid.

Barbo broke loose in the third quarter as he fired 15 points and handed White Haus a 13-point advantage, 69-56. Before the White Haus big man’s show in the penultimate frame, his squad was only up by 4 at the break, 46-42. He drilled 9 straight points in the early part of the pivotal third and had another string of points (6) late in that canto to halt Tropang Ridhors’ rally.

Tropang Ridhors moved within 7, 52-59, after falling behind by as much as 14, 45-59, behind Junar Guiab and Ken Viray’s baskets. However, Barbo stopped than run when he made three charities off a Joy Dayrit technical free throw and a regular foul from Guiab. Then Nonato finished things off for White Haus in the third frame, scoring the squad’s last 4 points to bring their lead back to twin digits, entering the final canto.

In the fourth quarter, Tropang Ridhorse made one final push to mount a comeback with Guiab, Viray, and Reggie Yoshisawa teaming up. However, Barbo was there to keep the ship steady and lead White Haus to the semifinals.

In the semis this Wednesday, White Haus will duel the top-ranked Batang Bear Brand in the first game at 6pm. In the second Final Four pairing at 7:30pm, Team Sawi will challenge No. 2 Silencer.

The trio of Brendon Talania, J.R. Concepcion, and Ehroll Peredo made it possible for Team Sawi to pull off an upset over Black Mamba and advance to the semifinals. Talania had a game-high 29 points, while Concepcion and Peredo chipped in 20 and 18, respectively. They outgunned Chris Lansang, Alex Lauron, and White Capalad, 67-61.

Talania scored 9 of his total markers in the fourth quarter, which started with Team Sawi still down by 5, 55-60. Talania nearly matched Black Mamba’s output in the fourth quarter, as the higher-seeded team was held to five field goals. Concepcion backed up Talania in the fourth, adding 8 markers, 6 of them came from downtown, while Peredo, Emerson Malaqui, and Joseph Galulu also scored in the final canto for Team Sawi.

Only three players hit the board for Black Mamba in the fourth quarter meltdown.

First Game
Team Sawi 79 — Talania 29, Concepcion 20, Peredo 18, Malaqui 9, Factor 2, Galulu 2.
Black Mamba 70 — Lansang 22, Lauron 20, Capalad 19, Odicta 6, Salazar 2, Ibanez 1.
Scoring by quarters: 13-17, 35-38, 58-60, 79-70.

Second Game
White Haus 91 — Barbo 45, Nonato 15, Tabora 10, Quizon 9, Mateo 6, Ocampo 4.
Tropang Ridhors 85 — Guiab 23, Viray 21, Morales 12, Yoshisawa 9, Dayrit 9, Acosta 9, Claveria 2.
Scoring by quarters: 28-27, 46-42, 69-56, 91-85.