KUWAIT CITY, Jan 30: Three outstanding ballgames were the business of the day in the ongoing 19th Filipino Basketball League (FBL), 9th Filipino Women’s Volleyball League (FWVL) and 4th Filipino Men’s Volleyball League (FMVL) Goodwill Games Conferences at the Bayan Bilingual School in Jabriya, Friday.
In FBL matches, Fil-Am overwhelmed Sahara 76-61, Maidan Clinic thrashed Metal Center 99-77, Papa John’s brushed aside Al Essa 81-69 and Triggers overcame Kaibigan Uno 82-70.
FMVL games saw Boushari outclass Rebellious Elfin 25-23, 22-25, 25-23 while in FWVL Al Muzaini edged Gulf Cryo 25-15, 20-25, 26-24 and Noodles won by default against Lear Siegler Service Inc.
These events are being officiated by Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP)-Kuwait Chapter with Commissioner Demos Arienda along with Baylon Tenorio, Toots Apostol, Jhune Lagmay, Ferdie Tadena, George Panganiban, and Joel Acuna.

FWVL
Al Muzani vs Gulf Cryo
Al Muzaini team remained undefeated when they showed class once again and outlasted Gulf Cryo in 3 extended sets 25-15, 20-25, 26-24.
The initial set saw Al Muzaini in their best shoes when they pulled together their wits and energy through #14 Mariel, #11 Pam, #8 Tess and #23 Gemma while their opponents appeared to be warming up when they acquire a total of 15 points through #1 Sarah and #8 Cherry to win the 1st set 25-15.
Meanwhile, Gulf Cryo proved that they were not an easy prey when they came up with a good game plan to take the next set while their rivals were never complacent at any point.
Gulf Cryo put up a strong line of defense and smacked a number of spikes through #5 Tin-Tin and #27 Vervil that saw them level 15-15 at one point. Bursting with tons of power #1 Sarah received good set plays from her teammates that pushed them forward to 20-18 followed closely by two points from #4 Jeanette. They managed to take the driver’s seat when their opponents fall short and were caught unawares to win 25-20 and push for 3rd deciding set.
The tussle for supremacy put the observers on the edge of their seats since neither team was ready to give up easily that saw them level first on 7-7 and then 17-17. Wearing jersey # 14 Mariel, #12 Janeth and #23Gemma gave a hard time for Gulf Cryo as they tried to keep up although Gulf Cryo staged a good fight through #7 Micah and #1 Sarah that saw them tagged once again at 21-21.
One of Gulf Cryo’s finest members Tin-Tin Ng fired in good services and solid spikes kept them close to their rivals who bounced back with solid spike through #23 Gemma and #14 Mariel that saw them level 24-24 and pushed the game into an extension.
Wearing jersey #11 Pam of Al Muzaini fired in a hard spike that made them ahead by one point while an error from Gulf Cryo sent Al Muzaini took into a 26-24 victory.
Wearing jersey #23 Gemma Tante was given the Best Player of the Game award.
Initial Standings
    GP    W    L
Almuzaini Exchange    3    3    0
Gulf Cryo    3    2    1
Noodles Restaurant    3    1    2
Lear Siegler Service Inc    3    0    3
FMVL
Boushahri vs Rebellious Elfin
The last game of the day was a real treat for all those who stayed back to watch some real volley games as two outstanding teams this season fought their hearts out in the initial round of the 2nd round robin match in which Boushahri bounced back to beat Rebellious Elfin 25-23, 22-25, 25-23.
The initial set saw Rebellious Elfin came out with a big bang when they took a 5-point lead 13-8 at one point but it was not very long before #4 Wilton of Boushahri smacked a solid spike to which their opponent couldn’t find any reply, while at one point Boushari seemed to misplace their coordination that kept their opponent in control by 2 points 18-16.
Boushahri’s finest members #14 Jhoms delivered a hard spike while the “Small but Terrible” #1 Aeron used his wits to get an immediate over the net drop shot along with aces from #4 Wilton that saw them level, first 21-21 and then 23-23. With an over hand serve from #4 Wilton their rivals saw their return hit the ceiling followed by blocks from #4 Wilton and #2 Jerry which gave them and initial 25-23 victory.
On the other hand, Rebellious Elfin put up a good show in the 2nd set when amazing jump spikes from #11 Jamil, #16 Jay-Jay and #5 Jerick put them ahead once again on 8-5 points while from the other side of the bench #1 Aeron provided a spike and an unyielding block that closed the gap to 14-15.
A time out by Boushahri helped them came out with a plan that saw them level 15-15, 19-19 as the game see-sawed since both the teams showed that they were not ready to give up.
Later in the game, there were a number of deadlocks but two consecutive errors from Boushahri put Rebellious Elfin in control to win the set 25-22 and push the match into a 3rd deciding set.
It looked like a championship match as both the teams put a lot of passion into the game and displayed their best performance in the battle for supremacy with a spike from #4 Keith from Boushahri getting a similar reply from #16 Jay-Jay.
Rebellious Elfin got a lot of spikes from #14 Lou and #11 Jamil but some of these were blocked by #2 Jerry or answered by #4 Wilton and #14 Jhoms that resulted in a number of times being tied starting with 6-6, and then 10-10.
Meanwhile, Rebellious Elfin took control of the game at one point when a number of errors and outside the area spikes from their rivals saw them lead 15-11 but this awakened Boushahri who pressed hard on the accelerator and with the combination of #4 Wilton, #14 Jhoms and #1 Aeron they were tied 16-16.
Boushahri were now back in the game but their rivals refused to give up that resulted in a 4 point advantage for Rebellious Elfin 22-18. Boushahri finally woke up and hit solid spikes they caught their rivals unawares and they slowly started closing the game before both the teams were tied on 22-22.
Boushahri did not waste any time to get their best shots through aces from #4 Wilton that saw them walk home with a 25-22 victory .
Boushahri’s #4 Wilton Baccay took the Best Player of the Game award.
Initial Standings
    GP    W    L
Boushahri    4    3    1
Rebellious Elfin    5    3    2
Maki    3    2    1
Triggers    1    0    1
Angel Eyes    3    0    3
FBL
Maidan Clinic vs Metal Center
One of the toughest contenders for this season’s title Maidan Clinic slowly but surely proved that they are not a team to be taken lightly as they took a share of the top spot with Movenpick Al Bida’a - with both the teams having an unbeaten record in 4 games - after they beat Metal Center by 99-77 points.
The first quarter witnessed Maidan Clinic wearing their best shoes when they put up a strong defense through #25 Fernandez that gave #32 Tadlas and #18 Alanan to easy access to the basket while from the other side of the courts #31 Villaruz and #3 Espadero got most of the score but still came out short as Maidan Clinic led by 10 points 20-10 at the end of the first quarter.
An early 3-point shot was delivered by #3 Rabe from Maidan Clinic but the “Small but Terrible” #3 Espadero from Metal Center replied with back to back long shots accompanied by some points from #2 Saludo. However, it was not enough to level their rivals who continued to deliver their best through #23 Obordo, #3 Rabe and another long shot from #31 Nunez that strengthened Maidan Clinic’s lead to 20 points 46-26 at the end of the 1st half.
In the 3rd quarter Maidan Clinic went an extra mile through remarkable long shots from #23 Obordo and #33 Montemayor accompanied by number of steals from #32 Tadlas and #10 Taleti that saw their opponents stunned by this performance and although the latter got some good shots from #35 Cordova and #3 Espadero these were not enough to turn the table in their favor with the score 75-46 at one point.
The last 10 minutes on the courts did not much of a difference for Metal Center who worked really hard to get a bit close but their rivals did not at any point play easy and pleased their supporters when they completed a 99-77 point victory.
Fil-Am vs Sahara
Fil-Am slowly but surely moving to comfortably sit in 4th place far when they pulled off their third win in 4 games including their victory this week against the depleted Sahara team whom they beat by 15 points 76-61.
The initial quarter saw that Fil-Am in their best form when they led 31-10 with outstanding shots delivered by #15 Vallega, #88 Silvestre along with back to back long shots from #14 Marvin Sumague while from the other side of the bench #21Angelito Bardon got 6 points.
Fil-Am slowed down a bit in the 2nd quarter that gave an opportunity to Sahara to draw closer with fines shots from #33 Dante Mendoza that left them 15 points 24-39 behind at the end of the 1st half.
Sahara carried on the momentum in the 3rd quarter when they compiled a healthy amount of points including a 3-point shot from #21 Angelito Bardon.This, however, not sufficient to level their rivals who maximized their scoring chances through #15 Vallega who got 16 points alone in 3rd quarter that kept them in the driver’s seat by 16 points 43-59 at one point.
The last 10 minutes of the ballgame were not enough for Sahara team to level nor control their opponents who never played easy until the final minutes of the 4th quarter.Fil-Am showed their shooting prowess through #5 Froilan Punzalan along with a long shot from #88 Silvestre that completed the game 76-61 in their favor.
Papa John’s vs Al Essa
Papa John’s are comfortably seated 3rd best with 4 wins in their 5 matches including their 81-69 victory over Al Essa.
The initial quarter saw that Papa John’s were all warmed up when they fired in outstanding shots mostly from #4 Alfred Ceballos and #5 Chris Reyes while from the other side of the courts it seemed that their rivals were still warming up and failed to acquire enough baskets that completed a 17 point 29-12 for Papa John’s.
An early long shot driven by #28 Jason Magallanes from Papa John’s opened the 2nd quarter along with some points from #71 Lago although #12 Marvin Lompero had an answer to these shots but it was not enough as they were stuck 22 points behind 23-45 by the end of the 1st half.
Al Essa showed some real class in the 3rd quarter when they realized that there were only two quarters left and came up with excellent long shots through #9 Gener Capili, #12 Marvin Lompero and #32 Dennis Toquero while it appeared that their opponents were stunned by this performance since Al Essa managed to close the gap to 6 points 50-56.
In the final quarter, Papa John’s recognized the ability of their opponents that made them perform at their best as they came out with three back to back long shots from #28 Jason Magallanes, #14 Johan Bautista and #11 Jerry Masangkay that put them in control for a 12-point 81-69 victory.
The Best Player of the Game award was given to #5 Chris Reyes of Papa John’s Team.
Triggers vs Kaibigan Uno
One of the earlier games took place that day at the same venue saw Triggers overcome Kaibigan Uno 82-70 points.
In the first quarter Triggers looked like they were in full battle gear when an opening long shot was driven in by #3 Joie Talaba along with back to back shots from #21 Darwin Nunez and #8 Joey Lorilla while from the other side of the bench #12 Arnel Bustillo contributed 8 points after he collected good assist from his teammates as Triggers led 29-10.
Never at any point did Triggers play easy despite a 19-point lead and mounted an intense line of defense through #13 Dado Rafanan that gave an easy access to the hoops to #19 Arman Gadia and #3 Joie Talaba while Kaibigan Uno managed to gain points through #14 Abel Villanueva and #12 Arnel Bustillo but they still came out short that kept them behind by 20 points 25-45 at the end of the 2nd quarter.
Kaibigan Uno tried as hard as they could to come up with a good game plan enable to match their rivals superior performance and put up a solid line of defense through #30 Duds Tenorio while #93 Ryan Ondoc scored a number of points backed by #12 Arnel Bustillo .Triggers , however, were never complacent and once again got good shots from #13 Dado Rafanan and #16 August de Guzman that kept them in control as they led by 65-48 points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Kaibigan Uno were made to sweat every single minute in the final quarter and no matter how hard they toiled it seemed like it was not their lucky day as they accepted a 12-point 70-82 defeat. Credit must be given to all the Triggers players for an excellent performance.
Wearing Jersey #21, Darwin Nunez of Triggers bagged the Best Player of the Game award.

Initial Standings
    GP    W    L
Movenpick    4    4    0
Maidan    4    4    0
Papa John’s    5    4    1
Fil-Am    4    3    1
Al Essa    5    3    2
Holiday Inn    3    2    1
Triggers    4    2    2
Desert Fox    6    2    4
Kaibigan Uno    6    2    4
Shonan    2    1    1
Metal Center    5    1    4
Shrimpy    1    0    1
Wizara    4    0    4
Sahara    6    0    6
FBL, FMVL and FWVL organizers would like to thank their sponsors, Caroll Ong from Metrobank Super Bilis Padala and Red Bull Energy Drink for supporting their events.
Happy birthday to BAP Commissioner Demos Arienda, from Jose Gabriel and YMK.