Team Bumblebees got their second straight win on Saturday, November 14, against the Engineering All-Stars, 80-75, at the continuation of the APCRAA Alumni Basketball Tournament (AABT) 2nd Conference elimination round.
The Bumblebees are on target for the last outright semifinals seat. They just need to win against the ASPAC Boys, who are also in contention for the semifinals berth, on November 21.
The Engineering All-Stars, however, are assured of entering the quarterfinals and the results of next week’s games will determine their opponent in the knockout round.
Brix Estabillo led all scorers for the Bumblebees with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals, followed by Jeomark Belardo with 19 points plus five assists. Norman Ringor dominated the boards with 16 rebounds.
The All-Stars were led by Mark de Luna with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, followed by Jerome Belen with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Deo Eduarte had a cold shooting night, making only 4 out of his 15 attempts in the field.
The Engineering All-Stars took control of the game for much of the first half, leading by as much as 15 points. But the Bumblebees got their act together by the second quarter with a 19-0 run and grabbed the lead by halftime, 49-44.
In the third quarter, the game got intense, as the All-Stars strung up a series of runs to decrease their deficit. But the run was easily thwarted by Ringor, Estabillo and Belardo as they keep on hitting their shots to deflate any All-Stars run.
Meanwhile, the ASPAC Boys won their game against the hapless Team Burnout by forfeit. This is the second time that Burn-out forfeited their match due to incomplete players.
Team Warriors kept their win-loss record unblemished as they too won their game against Team Legacy via forfeit. Legacy fielded in only four players for their scheduled game.
Both Burn-Out and Legacy incurred fines due to the forfeits. Since Team Burn-Out is eliminated, they will not be allowed to join any upcoming APCRAA tournament as long as the fine is unpaid.
As for Team Legacy, they will not be allowed to play their quarterfinals game until their fine is settled.
The elimination round of the men’s division will wind up on November 21, as both ASPAC Boys and Bumblebees will meet in a very crucial match to determine the second team that will gain the outright semifinals berth, while Team Warriors will have a chance to sweep the eliminations, as they will face the Engineering All Stars.
Boxscores (click here for full stats):
Bumblebees (80): Estabillo 28, Belardo 19, Ringor 12, De Guzman 6, Prio 6, Pring 6, Villas 3, Estoesta Jk 0
Engineering All-Stars (75): De Luna 17, Belen 16, Gumboc 10, Eduarte 9, San Diego 7, Macaspac 6, Cabalag 5, Sondia 5, Mappala 0, Factor 0
Quarterscores: 19-28, 49-44, 64-59, 80-75