Young Builders ‘91 motored to its fifth straight win in as many games after squeaking past Asian Home Appliance ‘89/93, 56-54, in the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association’s 10th Dr. Chen Lieh Fu Memorial Cup on Saturday night at the CEC Gym.
The two protagonists fought tooth-and-nail right from the start, but Class ‘91 showed nerves of steel when the game was on the line to preserve its undefeated record.
John Joel Lim carded in a season-high 16 points, nine in the fourth period that helped bridge Class ‘91 to a thrilling victory. Kevin Co added 12 points, four rebounds and two assists. Chester Benedict Go scored only nine, but deserved special mention for his eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Ryan Alexis Mendez exploded with 29 points but fell short in the end as Class ’89/93 slipped to 2-3. Edison Ong cashed in season-highs 12 points, 15 rebounds, and four steals in a losing cause.
In the other game, VAG Trading ‘94 shook off a rusty start to maul Osam Enterprises ‘84, 63-58, for its first win of the season.
Class ’94 actually trailed by four after the first period, 11-15, but countered with a 15-7 spurt in the second canto to grab the lead at the bend, 26-22, for good.
Class ‘94 then outscored Class ‘84 in the final half, 37-26, to seal the 15-point romp.
Stanley Gaw finished with 16 points,Wellington Yu added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Ghetto Beldeniza tossed in 12 markers on top of four rebounds as Class ‘94 snapped out of its three-game losing skid.
Star center Sammy Sia unloaded 21 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists followed by Peter Dy with a season-best 17 points and six rebounds for Class ‘84, which absorbed its fifth loss in six starts.
The scores
First game
Class ‘94 (63) - Gaw 16, Yu 13, Beldeniza 12, De Asis 7, Bejer 7, Chua 2, Ong 2, Jao 2, Peña 2
Class ‘84 (48) - Sia 21, Dy 17, Tan 6, Go 4
Second game
Class ‘91 (56) - Lim 16,Co 12, C. Go 9, De la Torre 9, E. Go 6, Ty 4
Class ‘89/93 (54) - Mendez 29, Ong 12, Chiang 10, Lao 3 – EBV