KUWAIT CITY, Feb 27: Basketball and volleyball fans were treated to some fantastic games Friday when action continued in the 19th Filipino Basketball League (FBL), 4th Filipino Men’s Volleyball League (FMVL) and 9th Filipino Women’s Volleyball League (FWVL) Goodwill Games Conference at the Bayan Bilingual School in Jabriya.
There were four games in FBL that saw Papa John’s put in an amazing performance to edge one of the best teams this season FIL-AM after a close encounter by 73-70 points, while Desert Fox thrashed Shoonan 92-71, Holiday Inn brushed aside Wizara 96-89 and Columbus Café overcame Al Essa 72-66.
When the FWVL matches continued, the volleyball fans witnessed Gulf Cryo hammer Noodles 25-11, 25-10 while in FMVL Rebellious Elfin outlasted Angel Eyes 25-17, 19-25, 25-23 to tie with Boushahri at the top.
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, Jun Torres and Joel Acuna.

FWVL
Gulf Cryo kept 2nd place in their tournament when they wasted no time to beat Noodles 25-11, 25-10.
The 1st set saw Gulf Cryo in full battle gear as they started off with a solid spike through #8 Cherry coming from a good set play by #27 Vervil. Gulf Cryo did not stop there as #5 Tin-Tin delivered amazing spikes that their rivals could not match while #8 Cherry drove in a number of aces along with some points from #4 Jeanette and Laura.
On the other hand it seemed that Noodles needed some more time to work on with their defense and service while most of their scores came through #9 Mutya and #5 Shey but they fell short to easily lose the first set 11-25.
Gulf Cryo appeared to be in a hurry as some of the players needed to go back to work and did not give any chance to their rivals - who tried to fight for every point, with some good drop shots from #27 Vervil and hard spikes from #8 Cherry and #5 Tin-Tin.
Meanwhile, the struggling Noodles could not find an antidote to match their opponents although some good spikes and aces were driven by #1 Choi and #4 Miah but they were still caught unawares by their opponents onslaught and lost the 2nd set 10-25 and with it the match.
Wearing Jersey #8 Cherry of Gulf Cryo bagged the Best Player of the Game Award.
Initial Standings
    GP    W    L
Almuzaini Exchange    4    4    0
Gulf Cryo    4    3    1
Noodles Restaurant    5    1    4
Lear Siegler Service Inc    3    0    3
FMVL
One of the prime contenders for this season’s crown Rebellious Elfin once again faced defending champions Angel Eyes and displayed some real strength and power as they edged them 25-17, 19-25, 25-23 after a seesaw battle which could have gone either way.
The 1st set saw Rebellious Elfin work harmoniously on the courts as they displayed good blocks and good set plays from #13 Ashley which gave an opportunity to Jamil to drive hard spikes that their rivals failed to answer.
Meanwhile, Angel Eyes displayed overwhelming energy that resulted in a number of points going the way of their rivals as most of their spikes landed out of the court or hit the ceiling as they trailed by 5-8 points.
Rebellious Elfin were back in form after a technical time out and hammered in some hard spikes through Lou and aces from Chen while Jamil used his wits to place his drop shots that caught their opponent unaware for a 13-6 points lead and also resulted in Angel Eyes calling for a timeout.
This was good decision from Angel Eyes to break the momentum of their opponents who collected a number of errors. Angel Eyes also started to kick in some points through Joven and Jhick to close the gap to 5 points 11-16.
Rebellious Elfin, bursting with tons of energy, started piling on the points once again with hard spikes from Chen, Jamil and Lou to take the first set 25-17.
Defending champions Angel Eyes played a different game in the second set since they were aware that they needed to win this set in order to level the match 1-1 and push for a deciding set. And it was not very long before Joven hammered in a spike and also executed an effective block while Ruel’s soft spike landed in an empty spot for his team to lead 8-5.
However, it was not very long before Rebellious Elfin were awakened to the realities on the ground as they realized that they could not take things for granted and once again Lou executed a block while Jay-Jay’s service hit the ceiling when their opponent tried to make a solid reply which saw both the teams level 10-10 at one point.
Angel Eyes showed a lot of focus when Joven used his wits with over the net drop shots while Ruel hit a number of spikes .It seems that the overflowing energy of their opponent could not be controlled resulting in a number of outside the court serves giving Angel Eyes a 16-13 lead.
Meanwhile, Angel Eyes continued to display a lot of enthusiasm for the game as Jhick once again drove a hard spike and Ghermie fired in an excellent over the net placing on a set play from Joven while it seemed the ceiling did not favor Rebellious Elfin a number of times. Lou gathered a number of points from his spikes but Angel Eyes were in no mood to let off the pressure and took the 2nd set 25-19.
A tussle for supremacy was witnessed in the 3rd deciding set as neither team proved that they were an easy prey and this resulted in long rallies and a number of ties.
Both sides ran into early service errors but Angel Eyes managed to score with an ace from Oskie and from the other side of the courts Jay-Jay had an answer that saw them level 5-5 at some point.
Meanwhile, it was not very long before both teams showed a lot of determination and when Jhick of Angel Eyes and Jamil from the other side battled on the net for a drop, Jamil had a bad fall that caused him to sprain his ankle that resulted in an injury time out.
As the game continued Lou, Rebellious Elfins Jay-Jay and Chen once displayed a good game while Joven, Krizzy and Jhick had an answer that once again tied the score, first at 11-11 and then 12-12 that called for another time out for Angel Eyes.
A lot of power was shown by both the teams that resulted in a number of errors like outside serves and faulty spikes but as they again regained focus Jay-Jay’s strong block contributed another point while Jhick once again fired in some spikes that saw the teams level 18-18.
It was not very long before Rebellious Elfins collected points through solid spikes from Lou, Chen and Jerick but Joven and Krizzy managed to get some points. Jay-Jay once again executed a wonderful service that Krizzy tried to return but the ball hit the ceiling handing Rebellious Elfins a 25-23 victory.
Due to this victory, Rebellious Elfin ended up with 6 wins, the same number as Boushahri, and BAP Commissioner Demos Arienda has announced that there will be a knock-out game between these two teams next week to determine who takes the number 1 spot. And then the tournament will see the semi-finals with the number 1 team facing number 4 and number 2 facing 3. Whoever wins in these matches will compete for the title while the losers will vie for the 2nd runners-up spot.
Rebellious Elfins #16 Jay-Jay was judged Best Player of the Game.
Initial Standings
Teams    GP    Win    Loss
Boushahri    8    6    2
Rebellious Elfin    8    6    2
Maki    8    5    3
Angel Eyes    8    4    4
FBL
Papa John’s vs FIL-AM
One of the best games that day put FBL supporters on the edge of their seat and this was the battle between two of the premium teams this season with Papa John’s showing some real class when they outlasted FIL-AM 73-70.
In the first quarter, opening back to back long shots from #3 Boanerjes and #16 Banez of Papa John’s along with some points from their teammates gave them 20 points while from the other side of the courts #18 Norman Rustia collected most of the points as his team scored 18.
Papa John’s stayed in control when they fired three long shots from #5 Reyes, #4 Ceballos and ##28 Magallanes accompanied by a strong defense from #17 Ruado and #14 Bautista that kept them ahead by 8 points 40-32 by the end of the first half.
The struggling FIL-AM squad was made to sweat for every point but they managed to score through #15 Vallega and #8 Najera although their rivals were never complacent and fought back to 51-61 points by the end of the 3rd quarter.
The final quarter saw a different level of performance from FIL-AM as they came up with a good game plan that heated up the game, with tempers flaring, and resulted in a bench technical foul at one point against both the sides but the game stayed in control of the BAP referees.
FIL-AM fought back as they managed to collect points through #8 Najera and #18 Rustia along with a long shot from #2 Tan. Although Papa John’s acquired a limited number of points in the last quarter, good free-throw shots from #16 Banez made sure that Papa John’s stayed ahead with FIL-AM finally losing by three points 70-73 points.
Wearing Jersey #16 Banez bagged the Best Player of the Game Award.
Columbus Café vs Al Essa
Earlier that day, Columbus Café were in their best form to retain their unbeaten run when they overcame Al Essa 72-66.
The 1st quarter witnessed Columbus Café getting most of their points through #6 Cruz as he received good passes from his teammates that took his team’s score to 17 while Al Essa appeared to be warming up as they gained 14 points with most of the shots driven by #8 Marvin Macaraeg.
Meanwhile, the 2nd quarter saw Al Essa put up a solid defense through #16 Rey Villanueva and #9 Gener Capili that stopped their opponents from finding the hoops and gave chances to #3 JR Palma to score most of the points including a long shot that swung the lead in their favor 30-29 by the end of the 1st half.
Al Essa consistently put in a good performance and they got three back to back long shots from #7 James Galin and two from #12 Marvin Lompera . From the other side of the bench #5 Go had an answer to one of these long shot but his team still came out short as Al Essa remained in charge by 51-44 points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Columbus Café showed a different color in the last 10 minutes of the ballgame through an unyielding defense that saw #24 Gulucan being fouled out before the game finished. There were back to back 3-point shots from #3 Adlawan and #5 Go along with fine shots from #15 J. Narvas while it seemed that Al Essa were not able to cope up with the onslaught of Columbus Café and the latter won by 6 points 72-66.
Holiday Inn vs Wizara
Holiday Inn stamped their authority on Wizara from the start to the finish to win by 96-89 points.
The first quarter saw Holiday Inn in their best shoes when they scored off a long shot from #11 Prats who contributed 15 points alone in the same quarter backed by a 3-point shot from #31 Garcia while Wizara managed back to back long shots from #18 Rulona and #11 Chaneco but the latter still remained behind by 4 points 18- 22.
Holiday Inn moved ahead when they filled the hoops with back to back long shots from #11 Prats and #8 Atong, who scored 14 points in the second quarter alone accompanied by two more 3-point shots from #9 Nugue that caught their rivals unawares while from the other side of the courts #37 Osea and #7 Ty displayed some good shots but their team still remained behind by 13 points 38-51 at the end of the 2nd quarter.
The break saw Wizara come up with the game plan based on spontaneous shooting through #11 Chaneco but it seems that Holiday Inn were in no mood to play easy and moved up a gear through back to back long shots from #9 Nugue and #11 Prats, backed by a solid defense from the captain of the team #7 Felipe that saw them in control and leading by 8 points 67-59.
It appeared that Wizara could not find an antidote to match their opponents overflowing energy although they displayed their shooting prowess through #8 Villanueva and #37 Osea as Holiday Inn pleased their supporters when #7 Felipe delivered 14 points for a 96-89 victory.
Holiday Inn’s #11 Prats was named Best Player of the Game.
Desert Fox vs Shoonan
Desert Fox displayed some real class when they thrashed Shoonan 92-71.
The initial quarter saw Shoonan all warmed up when they pulled off three early back to back 3-pointers through #25 Eduard Villarosa along with spontaneous shots from #7 Marvin Susuban while from the other side of the courts #5 Soriano handed most of the scores but the latter still remained behind by 5 points 22-17.
Shoonan continued to show their shooting prowess through #29 Ferdie Baguio while Desert Fox also appeared to be all warmed up as they consistently delivered good assists and put up a strong defense to make way for #5 Soriano and #4 Ambassing to gain easy access to the hoops that closed the gap to 39-40 by the end of the 1st half.
Desert Fox stepped on the accelerator in the 3rd quarter with solid defense from #3 Cabuhat and Barrios while #5 Soriano showed his expertise on the hoops while from the other side of the bench Shoonan seemed to be stunned by their opponents performance although #7 Marvin Susuban came out with some good shots the advantage remained with their rivals as Desert Fox led by 15 points 66-51.
Never at any point were Desert Fox complacent and stayed in control as the captain of the team #4 Asmbasing hit a number of shots while Shoonan tried as hard as they could to level their opponents overwhelming power but the latter still fell short as the game ended in a 21-point victory for Desert Fox 92-71.
Best Player of the Game was #5 Soriano of Desert Fox.

Initial Standings
Teams    GP    Win    Loss
Movenpick Al Bida’a     9    8    1
Papa John’s    8    7    1
Maidan    5    5    0
FIL-AM    7    5    2
Holiday Inn    6    4    2
Al Essa    7    4    3
Triggers    7    4    3
Desert Fox    9    4    5
Columbus Coffee    2    2    0
Shoonan     6    2    4
Kaibigan Uno    7    2    5
Metal Center     7    1    6
Wizara    7    0    7
Sahara     8    0    8
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.