CEBU - In another awe-inspiring display of outside shooting brilliance, Chester Cokaliong sank 13 triples of his game-high 41 points to vault the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association (CECABA) All-Stars to a 134-104 thrashing of Boljoon LGU in their first out-of-town exhibition game last Saturday night at the Boljoon Sports and Cultural Center.
Surprisingly, the full-packed crowd cheered for Cokaliong everytime he knocked in a 3-pointer especially in the fourth period where he made four consecutive hits to buffer the CECABA All-Stars to a 30-point blowout.
It was actually a virtual shoout with Boljoon Vice Mayor Merlou Derama and Resty Getubig combining for 10 treys.
The CECABA stars sprinted to a blistering 40-27 start, but the Boljoon cagers fought back with savvy in the second canto to whittle the deficit down to only two, 53-55. They could have even tasted their first lead had Vice Mayor Derama converted his attempt from beyond the arc.
Upon the behest of coach Ferdinand “Bong” Pineda, man mountain Richard Yu pounced his way at the shaded lane with authority, tossing in 15 of his 25 points in the third period to help the CECABA side protect a slim 87-83 lead going into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
As Cokaliong kept on pounding Boljoon with 3-point bombs, the CECABA mainstays ripped the game apart using a searing 47-21 rally in the windup.
“The invitation by the municipal government of Boljoon under the leadership of Mayor Deogenes “Wargong” R. Derama was an opportunity for the team to take a short vacation and team bonding,” said Cokaliong, who also dished out three assists to become the thumbs-up choice as All-Star MVP - the 10th of his career.
The other double-digit scorers for CECABA were Wilson Yu and Christopher Cokaliong with 12 and 10 markers, respectively.
Getubig paced Boljoon LGU with 34 points followed by Vice Mayor Merlou Derama with 28 points. Ramil Cabuguas scored 16 followed by Jubert Maglangit with 14.
Overall, it was CECABA All-Stars’ 15th win against four defeats and a draw since they started playing exhibition matches on November 23, 2002 when they beat the Rama Boys, 93-77. Prior to clashing with Boljoon LGU, the Easternians demolished USJ-R Padres Recoletos, 125-105, last July 13.
The CECABA All-Stars stayed overnight in Boljoon at the Mediong’s Seaside Escape. Before heading back to the City, the team attended mass at the 409-year-old Boljoon church in honor of its beloved patroness Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria.
The scores
CECABA All-Stars (134) - Cokaliong 41, R. Yu 25, W. Yu 12, Cokaliong 10, Lanutan 9, Kaw 8, Mendez 8, Sia 8, Chan 6, Lee 6
Boljoon LGU (104) - Getubig 34, VM Derama 28, Cabuguas 16, Maglangit 14, Estavilla 4, Pila 4, Nicanor 2, Suyoc 2 – EBV (THE FREEMAN)