Cookies & Team advanced to the championship round of the APCRAA Basketball Tournament (ABT) Season 5 men’s division after defeating Richmond Oilers in their sudden death semifinals game, 84-82 on Saturday, September 28 at the Asia Pacific College gymnasium.
This will be Cookies’ second finals appearance and the first since their championship run in 2016, when they were known as the Bumblebees. They will face Team Knights in the best-of-three championship round, beginning on October 5.
Brix Estabillo continued his exceptional performance in the playoffs, finishing with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Pepe Canseco dominated the boards with 16 rebounds, and added 8 points in the Cookies’ scoring effort.
Renzo Macaraeg and Abe Tanco had a double-double game for the Oilers. Macaraeg finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds while Tanco got 26 points and 10 rebounds.
The Oilers got the headstart in the first two quarters and led by as much as 11 points while frustrating the Cookies in offense. Things got worse when Estabillo got his fourth personal foul midway in the second quarter, forcing him to sit in the bench while the Oilers took control of the game.
Aftet halftime, a scoring onslaught by Estabillo, Guess Dela Cuesta and Lester De Luna put Cookies & Team in the driver’s seat for the first time in the game, 67-66, with less than two minutes left in the third canto.
The Oilers fought back in the fourth quarter, with Tanco countering any basket from Cookies. However, Estabillo and De Luna continued their scoring run and were able to secure a six-point lead with less than two minutes left. This cushion proved to be enough for a Cookies victory, as the Oilers committed costly turnovers for potential game-tying baskets.
THE SCORES:
COOKIES & TEAM (84): Estabillo 26, De Luna 16, Dela Cuesta 10, Gratil 9, Canseco 8, Belardo 7, Ringor 4, Prion 4, De Guzman 0, Trinidad 0, Villas 0
RICHMOND OILERS (82): Macaraeg 29, Tanco 26, Bayog 6, Chandnani 6, Ferrer 6, David 5, Amparo 3, Ysulan 1
QUARTERSCORES: 26-20, 43-48, 67-68, 84-82
REFEREES: V. Rancho, M. Rentoria, J. Lunar
FIBA LiveStats: https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/APC/1359325