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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Dole Juicers cop Socsksargen cage title
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Visiting Dole Juicers summoned all their might to beat hometown favorite Mindanao Medical Center (MMC) Medex, 96-83, in the playoff and bagged the championship title of the Socsksargen Basketball League (SBL) Inaugural Conference Saturday evening at the full-packed Oval Plaza covered court here.
Juicers Coach Jun Allera fielded only eight men against Medex's full house of 12 but five of them - offguard Rugie Cyril Sulla, small forward Danilo Baldosano, center Gabriel Maloloy-on, point guard Michael Etrata, and power forward Jeffry Gabilagon - combined 89 points or 92.7 percent of the team's total output.
The hardworking Toto Baldosano was also voted as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), receiving a special trophy for the citation. Without missing one of the Juicers' 13 games, Baldosano produced the team's highest cumulative individual output of 193 points - 150 of which from the field goal - to average 16.92 points a game - enjoyed one of the highest playing time and a low average of 2.15 fouls per game.
His close rival, ace point guard Michael Etrata averaged 16.73 points and 3.36 fouls per game plus an ejection and one game suspension that pulled him down.
Statistics contributed 40 percent, while referees' and coaches' votes account 30 percent respectively in selecting the MVP, explained SBL Commissioner Danny Billano.
In contrast with Medex Coach Greg Miranda's 12-man rotation, Allera got the right mix of team captain Sulla, Baldosano, Maloloy-on, Etrata, and Gabilagon and assigned veteran forward Orlando Nacorda, center Alrene Palma and shooting guard Allan Jay Mantile as relievers. Half of the squad had to warm the bench while the court got hotter with intense actions.
Sulla who averaged 15.77 a game delivered the game's highest 22 including seven in the fourth to keep the Medex at bay.
On the other hand, Maloloy-on's improved shooting earned him 19 markers including six in the fourth. Dole's big man also played good defense against counterpart Felix Alon who managed only eight.
Etrata and Baldosano also produced 19 points apiece while exhibiting good offense-defense teamwork the entire game.
Despite being blocked a handful of times, Gabilagon scored 10, above his 6.5 game average but below his highest output of 15. With his height, he however effectively helped in both offensive and defensive rebounding.
The game seemed to start right for the Medex as it led for few minutes and stalemated with the Juicers four times until Sulla sunk a three some six minutes into the game, allowing the Polomolok-based squad to break away for good and to never look back again.
When the first quarter ended, the Juicers was already commanding a nine-point advantage, 29-20.
Few minutes into the game, one could already sense that something was amiss at the Medex camp.
The small-but-terrible point guard Jimboy Bartolome appeared to be not in good playing condition, committing several passing errors before Coach Miranda sent him to the bench to cool down in most part of the second. In the entirety he only sunk seven, a pale comparison to his previous game average of 14.8.
Jay Asis replaced Bartolome but also committed errors including a too-high pass to off-guard Emmanuel Aquino at the lower left quarter of their side of the court.
Arniel Roda, who could have been the MVP had the Medex emerged victorious, was the saving grace for the team by producing 20, the team's highest in the game.
Offguard Rommel Benigay, center Jay Forones and Aquino registered double digits for a combined 32 points.
Small forward Dave Sagad, also a MVP hopeful and who earlier averaged 11.89 a game, only managed eight from the field goal area.
The game became more physical in the third that resulted to the ejection of Medex's small forward Kim Leo Legarda some 1:12 minutes into the quarter. Referee Pete Cabiladas charged Legarda for bad conduct for intentionally dumping on Gabilagon while downed in the floor.
Even then, the Medex largely through the 13-point efforts of Roda and Forones had cut down the lead to four, 68-64, when the third closed.
Despite the physical play initiated by the Medex, the Juicers controlled their violations until the last quarter where Gabilagon fouled out with still 6:51 minutes remaining. Sulla consumed his last foul with only seconds ticking away from victory.
Unlike the first championship game last Tuesday where he encountered foul trouble late in the third before graduating in the fourth, Etrata who served as main anchor for the Juicers had significantly avoided entangling in unnecessary violations by committing only two personal, below his 3.36 game average.
Baldosano similarly kept his low foul average of 2.15 per game but spent two in the last canto when the situation called for it, an offense short from the bench.
There were several crucial moments for the Medex that were just wasted. With 5:40 minutes remaining, Alon successfully converted two bonuses then followed a nice under stab to cut down the Juicers' lead to just two, 75-73, forcing the Polomolok boys to call for a time out apparently to break the momentum.
Instead of finally closing the gap after the time out, the Medex however allowed the Juicers to dump seven in less than one minute before Benigay replied with a two.
With 57.9 seconds remaining, both teams under penalty, and the score running at 85-79, which in basketball was still mathematically probable for the Medex to secure an extension time or even to win, Pido who came in for the first time committed an intentional foul against Baldosano, providing the latter a chance to successfully deliver two charity throws.
The Juicers committed a foul, allowing Roda to pump in two from the 15-foot line, restoring the six-point gap at 87-81.
With 41.9 seconds remaining, Pido committed an unsportsman foul against Sulla who successfully converted the first of the two charities.
Three seconds down, Benigay fouled out against Etrata who made use all two bonuses. Moments later, Pido committed another foul against Etrata who similarly converted both free throws awarded to him, widening the gap further to 92-81.
Roda and Bartolome converted a free throw each to wrap up the Medex's final tally at 83 against the Juicers 96.
Nacorda who came in to replace the graduating Sulla delivered the last four points for the Juicers.
SBL Chairman Antonio Veneracion, assisted by Commissioner Billano, awarded the MVP trophy to Baldosano, the first runner-up trophy to the MMC Medex through Coach Miranda, and the championship trophy to the Dole Juicers through Team Governor Carmelito Edrolin and Coach Allera.
The SBL 2nd Conference would open either in the last week of August or first week of September, said Veneracion.
The SouthPhil Arts and Sports Promotion conducted live radio coverage of the championship games over radio station dxGS Phil Radio with the support of the Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Company, Inc., Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils., Inc., i-Cloud Company, Jigzpi Original Apparel, Holiday Bus, Philippine Institute of Technology (PIT), and the General Santos City Water District.
How they scored:
Medex - 20-38-64-83: Roda 20, Benigay 12, Forones 10, Aquino 10, Sagad 8, Alon 8, Bartolome 7, Asis 4, Garces 4, Halili 0, Pido 0, and Legarda 0.
Dole Juicers - 29-49-68-96: Sulla 22, Baldosano 19, M. Etrata 19, Maloloy-on 19, Gabilagon 10, Nacorda 4, Mantile 2, and Palma 1. (Press release)
(August 2, 2006 issue)
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