The Ramon Cataros-skippered Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) had to pass through some scary moments before getting rid of Allied Bank, 82-75, in the first overtime game of the 2008 Cebu United Bankers Association (CUBA) First Conference Basketball League at the Our Lady of Sacred Heart Parish Gym.
It was a tightly-knit match right from the start, with neither team leading by as much as five points since they figured in a 36-all standoff at halftime.
BPI enjoyed a shaky 70-68 led with less than a minute left in the regulation period, but former USP Panther Bogart Nemenzo of Allied Bank scored on a courageous drive to knot the count at 70-all with four seconds to go.
BPI failed to make one good play in the ensuing sequence, thus, the overtime.
In the extra five-minute period, the indefatigable BPI cagers were in complete control as Allied Bank couldn’t find an answer to their relentless offensive.
Ex-Negros Slasher Julius Gastador carried BPI on his shoulders with a game-high 25 points. Edwin Mabanto and Edmond Tecson also stepped up bigtime to finish with 10 markers apiece. Nemenzo led Allied Bank with 19 points.
In the first game, the CUBA Nets did not look back after a 30-14 start on the way to ripping off the hapless Wealth Bank side, 87-65.
The scores
First game
Nets (87) - Rosal 20, Yap 12, Batucan 14, Soon 11, Solermo 10, V. Bacalla 8, Cortez 4, Malahay 4, Toring 2, A.J. San Juan 2
Wealth Bank (65) - Ortiz 11, Rizada 11, Miñoza 9, Allera 8, Navarro 6, Sigue 5, Dominguez 5, Mantos 4, Osorio 4, Mirafuentes 2
Quarterscores: 30-14, 46-34, 77-49, 87-65
Second game
BPI (82) - Gastador 25, Mabanto 10, Tecson 10, Peralta 8, Arreza 5, Cataros 5, Auman 5, Mabanto 4, Castellano 4, Amolo 2, Sator 2, Teves 2
Allied Bank (75) - Nemenzo 19, Noel 15, Yu 15, Palarca 7, Baldoza 6, Chan 4, Red 3, Ong 2, Israel 2, Benatiro 2
Quarterscores:17-18, 36-36, 55-53, 70-all, 82-75 OT — EBV