Bumblebees keep Alpha winless in semifinals hunt

Team Bumblebees kept their semifinals hopes alive as they defeated Team Alpha, 87-66, at the continuation of the APCRAA Basketball Tournament (ABT) 2018 season elimination round on Saturday, August 18 at the Asia Pacific College Gymnasium.

The game nearly got forfeited in Bumblebees’ favor when only four Alpha players were available during the 15-minute grace period. The fifth Alpha player arrived during the additional five-minute grace period upon agreement with Team Bumblebees according to tournament rules. The game proceeded and was played in running time for the first three quarters.

Team Alpha kept the game close and was able to hold on to the lead by halftime, 37-32. But after the break, Team Bumblebees surged with a 15-2 run to lead for the first time. Alpha got their second wind, decreasing the Bumblebee lead by 3 points before the start of the fourth quarter, 53-50.

However, with no available substitutes during the game, fatigue factor set in on Alpha as turnovers and missed shots continued to pile on them. Team Bumblebees delivered the knockout punch with a 13-3 run to make the game out of reach and break their two-game losing skid.

Team captain Brix Estabillo led the Bumblebees’ charge with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Norman Ringor had 27 points and 18 rebounds to help his team.

Jap Puente of Team Alpha continued to carry the scoring load of his team with 29 points, plus 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Jaycee Magsalos and Jeru Castañares added to their team’s scoring chores with 15 and 12 points respectively.

Both teams will be in action on August 25 as Team Alpha faces Team Mille at 6:30pm while Team Bumblebees will be up against Team 2K15 at 8:00pm.

THE SCORES (FIBA LiveStats):

BUMBLEBEES (87): Estabillo 28, Ringor 27, Villas 13, Prion 11, De Guzman 8, Pring 0, Rubio 0

ALPHA (66): Puente 29, Magsalos 15, Castanares 12, Perez 6, Baluyut 4

QUARTERSCORES: 12-19, 32-37, 53-50, 87-66