CEBU, Philippines – Alberto’s Pizza completed an eight-game sweep in the elimination round but had to scrape through double overtime before eliminating the CDU Reapers, 79-71, in the Bianca Marketing-sponsored 5th Lucky Tableware Regulars Basketball Tournament at the Visayan Glass Gym in Brgy. Guadalupe, this city.
For clinching the top spot with an immaculate 8-0 slate, Alberto’s Pizza will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage when it squares off against the fourth-ranked Visayan Ballers in the crossover semifinals tomorrow night at the same venue. The other final berth will be contested by Phat Thursday Resto Bar (4-4) and i828 (3-5) in a winner-take-all affair.
Facing no tomorrow, the CDU Reapers gave league heavyweight Alberto’s Pizza one hell of a fight. They broke the game wide open early on and took as much as 19 points lead, thereby, shoring up their bid to stay in contention for the semifinal race.
Alberto’s Pizza, however, staged a big turnaround in the fourth quarter behind the timely explosion of Martin Grogaard, Kent Tandan, and Heide Prete to forge a 56-all deadlock, thus, the overtime.
Alberto’s Pizza eventually wrested the driver’s seat, 68-67 on Grogaard’s free throw with 11 seconds left in the first extension.
In the ensuing sequence, Maiko Datan was fouled and could have lifted the CDU Reapers to victory but he split his charities for a 68-all deadlock, thus, extending the game to another five minutes.
In the second overtime, the wards of Alberto’s Pizza proved to have more energy left as they staged a scorching 11-3 rally to snuff the air out of the gritty CDU Reapers’ nose.
The red-hot triumvirate of Grogaard, Tandan and Prete connived for 69 points or 90 percent of Alberto’s total output. – THE FREEMAN