CEBU, Philippines - Erick Andrew So hit a buzzer-beating shot in overtime as MFL Mini-Mart ’98-A spoiled the big night of Christopher Cokaliong with a spine-chilling 87-85 win over Chester Enterprises ’82/83 last Tuesday night in the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association’s 11th Dr. Chen Lieh Fu Memorial Cup at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Just when everybody thought the game will proceed into second overtime as the score stood at 85-all with only five seconds left in the extension, So came out of nowhere to convert a hurried layup just as the gamelock expired. That came like a sharp dagger that plunged into the hearts of Class ’82/83 cagers.
The dramatic triumph calls for a double celebration for Class ’98-A as Erick So’s brother Paul Timothy reached a milestone by becoming the league’s 52nd member of the elite 1,000-point club.
Cokaliong also achieved the same feat as the 53rd player to breach the mark, but couldn’t jubilate completely as they dropped another close match they could have won.
It was indeed a heart-breaking setback for Class ’82/83 as it led by as much as 16 points only to fold up in the end, allowing Class ’98-A to fight back and forge a 76-all deadlock at the end of the regulation period.
Erick Andrew So was truly exceptional that night, firing in a season-best 28 points on top of three rebounds and two assists, while Paul Timothy So was similarly amazing with a near quadruple-double performance of 25 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, and five steals.
Rex Millan conspired with the So siblings in a powerful triumvirate as he finished with 27 points, six steals and four assists as Class ’98-A notched its fourth win in nine starts. Overall, the bombarded Class ’82/83 with 11 triples as against the latter’s only two from Esteban Ku.
Stephen Tan topscored for the Chester Enterprises-backed squad with 30 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, while Cokaliong torched 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks but they fell short in the end as they sustained their seventh straight defeat after an impressive 2-0 start.
In the other game, PTT Lubricants 2005 hammered out a 62-50 victory over the listless Gregoria’s Curtains and Trim Haus ’89/93. They left Class ’89/93 groping for form the rest of the way after opening the game with a devastating 23-4 assault.
Kent Benedict Uy scored 12 on top of seven rebounds, while Philip John Lua and See each had 11 markers as Class 2005 improved to 3-5.
Ryan Alexis Mendez had 15 points and five rebounds, Edison Ong tossed in 13 points and eight rebounds, while Archie Bejer posted a dozen markers for Class ’89/93, which further wallowed in the mire without a win to show in seven games.
The scores
First game
Class ’98-A (87) - E. So 28, Millan 27, P. So 25, Chua 4, Tan 2, Gochuico 1
Class ’82/83 (85) - Tan 30, Cokaliong 18, Ku 9, Co 9, Lim 9, R. Yu 6, Co 2,Chioson 2
Second game
Class 2005 (62) - Uy 12, Lua 11, See 11, Alegado 9, Salibio 8, Ramiro 6, Angcay 5
Class ’89/93 (50) - Mendez 15, Ong 13, Bejer 12, Ting 8, Chiang 2 – EBV (THE FREEMAN)