CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Diamond Auto Parts 2000 slipped past Chester Enterprises ‘82/83 by the narrowest of margins, 67-66, in the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association’s 11th Dr. Chen Lieh Fu Memorial Cup on Tuesday night at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Lorenz Azarraga had 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, while John Brian Lo chipped in 13 markers, 10 assists and three steals for Class 2000, which evened its win-loss record to 3-3.
The two protagonists figured in a tight-rope battle all game long with neither squad leading by more than three points. When the dust settled, Class 2000 puffed the victory pipe after outclassing Class ‘82/83 in what is by far the most thrilling encounter of the season.
Scoring machine Stephen Tan topped Class ‘82/83 with a game-high 29 points on top of 11 rebounds and two assists. Christopher Cokaliong also performed remarkably with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals but couldn’t celebrate fully as they suffered their fifth consecutive loss after an impressive 2-0 start.
In the other game, MFL Mini Mart ‘98-A nailed back-to-back wins after a woeful 0-4 start at the expense of PTT Lubricants 2005, 88-81.
Class ‘98-A kept on dictating the pace of the match after posting an early 18-14 advantage.
Erick Andrew So bombarded a season-best 35 points on top of seven rebounds and four assists for Class ‘98-A. Rex Millan contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists, while Paul Timothy So dished out 17 rebounds, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in an all-around show of hardcourt brilliance.
Philip John Lua had 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a record nine steals for Class 2005. Kenneth Ang fired 15 points, while Jarden Ramero and Kent Benedicto Uy each had 14 markers as they further slipped to 2-5.
The scores
First game
Class 2000 (67) — Azarraga 17, Lo 13, Mercadal 8, Ocarol 7, Boltron 6, Peña 6, Chua 3, Pimentel 2, Kua 2, Ong 2, Chua Ho 1
Class ‘82/83 (66) — Tan 29, Cokaliong 14, Ting 13, S. Co 5, Ku 3, R. Yu 2
Second game
Class ‘98-A (88) — E. So 35, Millan 18, P. So 17, Santos 10, Lim 4, Sy 2, Cañete 2
Class 2005 (81)—Lua 18, Ang 15, Uy 14, Ramero 14, Lee 10, Go 4, Tiu 4, Salibio 2 —EBV (THE FREEMAN)