Cabañero's endgame heroics steers Insular Life to 2-0 start

Aikan Cabañero poured in 10 of his 14 points in a crippling fourth-quarter rally to spur league newcomer Insular Life to a 58-44 win over the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association (CECABA) Selection-Runway Tires, its second straight in the 2006 Executive's Cup basketball tournament on Tuesday at the City Sports Club Cebu gym.

Later, the M. Lhuillier-sponsored San Carlos Boys High Alumni Basketball Association (SCBHABA) got up from a season-opening blunder with a merciless 113-87 rout of the Punta Princesa Sports Association (PPSA)- I Cooler Marketing.

Cabañero, who shot 7-of-10 from the field, also had eight rebounds and a block, while Rodolfo Romanos added markers and four caroms as Insular Life earned a share of the lead with Team Barkada on identical 2-0 win-loss cards.

For three quarters, the Insular Life stalwarts had a tough time pulling away from the hard-fighting CECABA Selection until Cabañero turned red-hot and masterminded a sizzling 24-14 spurt in the windup that resulted into a 14-point rout.

Insular Life face an acid today as it clashes with the Chester Cokaliong-led CECABA All-Stars at 7:30 pm, right before the Jaycees Basketball Association (JBA)-Crunchiken/Purcia Transport takes on Club Monday-Gatorade in the main game at 9 pm.

Rey Kenneth Ng was the only bright spot for the CECABA Selection (1-1) with a season-high 16 points and nine rebounds.

In the other game, cat-quick guard Edwin Banaag had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while star center Paul Abais chipped in 16 points on top of nine rebounds for SCBHABA, which kept PPSA at bay since taking a commanding 51-32 edge at halftime.

Dean Wong added 14 markers, Virgil Pua contributed 13 points and a season-high eight assists, while Dindo Sausa donated 11 points and four rebounds underscoring SCBHABA's balanced offensive.

SCBHABA now holds a 1-1 record in a tie with PPSA, which was paced by Esteban Cesar Ortega with season-highs 29 points and 15 rebounds. Enrico Espinoza had 19 points spiked with three triples, while Vicente Villar Jr. also had three 3-pointers in his 11-point finish albeit for a losing cause.

The scores

First game

Insular Life (58) - Cabañero 14, Romanos 11, Quindao 8, Eduave 5, LLanos 4, De Guzman 4, Colubio 4, Villegas 3, Danlag 3, Monisit 2

CECABA Selection (44) - Ng 16, K. Lim 6, R. Lim 6, E. Lim 5, P. Lim 5, Villamor 2, Tanco 2, Po 2

Second game

SCBHABA (113) - Banaag 17, Abais 16, Wong 14, Pua 13, Sausa 11, Amores 8, Caballero 8, Diaz 6, Monsanto 5, Aznar 4, Zanoria 4, Villamor 3, Bacaltos 2, Angan 2

PPSA-I Cooler (87) - Ortega 29, Espinoza 19, Villar 11, Lim 11, Hernandez 5, Ondiano 2, Aldemita 2