KUWAIT CITY, May 21: After a month’s pause due to the unavailability of a playing venue, basketball fans were treated to some amazing ballgames at the Bayan Bilingual School in Jabriya, Friday when the 21st Open Category Goodwill Games Conference saw defending champions 59ers brush aside SM Al Haddah 97-81 that put them in 2nd place while South East tamed Tropaks by 87-74 points.
On the other hand, in the 4th Inter-Company League, Safir International outlasted Al Tazaj 58-57 while Hilton Kuwait Resort overcame MOH 75-60 and Kuwait Energy wasted no effort to overpower Bayan Palace 69-33 points.
These quality ballgames are being officiated by Filipino Basketball League (FBL)-Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), headed by Commissioner Demos Arienda along with the following group of committed office-bearers who consistently deliver quality judgement in all the matches:James Miranda and Victoria Apostol — Time and Score Keeper, BAP Referees — Ferdie Tadena, Aries Buenaventura, George Panganiban, Toots Apostol, Baylon Tenorio and Joel Acuna — FBL President.
Safir vs Al-Tazaj
Earlier in the day, Safir International were made to sweat as they had to work really hard to outlast Al-Tazaj by 58-57 points.
The initial quarter saw Al Tazaj in high spirit as they got some good baskets through #27 Renato Cruz and #15 Tito Ausa while Safir International compiled most of the points through #1 Dilbert Aragones and #0 Jomel Cherian to take a 6-point lead 19-13 points by the end of the first quarter.
Never at any point did Al Tazaj take things easy because they knew that Safir was not an easy opponent and they put up a good line of defense while putting together some baskets as they struggled to stay ahead of their opponents who by now were putting up a strong fight.
Safir International managed to close the gap as they achieved some good shots from #3 Benjie Malijan and some points through #23 Jomar Dingca and #02 Jay R Mahilum. Safir International managed to score 19 points while restricting their opponents to 16 with Al Tazaj ending the first half ahead by 32-29 points.
The 3rd quarter witnessed a tussle for supremacy resulting in a seesaw battle with Al Tazaj pressing on the accelerator in an effort to retain the lead. Al Safir International fought hard Al Tazaj managed to stay ahead by 45-41points by acquiring points through #15 Tito Ausa and #6 Jomar Soriano.
The last 10 minutes of play provided a real treat for everyone with the tight game putting them on the edge of their seats. The match remained very close throughout the quarter and with only 4 seconds left in the ballgame the scores were tied at 57-57 when one of the Al Tazaj players committed a foul and Safir International’s #9 Manny Simbulan scored one of the two free throws to put his team ahead .Al Tazaj run out of time as Safir International walked home with a one-point 58-57 victory when the buzzer sounded.
Wearing Jersey #9 Manny Simbulan from Safir International bagged the Best Player of the Game award.
Hilton vs MoH
Hilton Kuwait Resort scored their initial victory after dominating their match from the start to the finish to beat MoH 75-60. The initial quarter saw Hilton in their best form despite the long break as they put together some real good baskets through #18 Jerive and #8 Brian while on the other side of the bench MoH appeared to be warming up although they were still able to acquire long shots through #89 Aquino and #5 Pelayo. Hilton kept up the pressure throughout the game to lead by 26-13 points at the end of the first quarter.
In the 2nd quarter, Hilton kept possession of the ball and acquired back to back baskets from #17 Wang and #7 Marawan while MoH again delivered 3-point shot through #3 Barnachea while #18 Rulona chipped in with a basket but that was not enough as they were left far behind with Hilton leading 40-25 points at the end of the first half.
Never at any point did Hilton take things easy and they put up a good line of defense through #7 Marwan that provided easy access to the hoops to #8 Brian and #6 Nice as they delivered most of the baskets MoH could not find the right antidote to match the skills of their opponents and there was no way they could level with them .In fact Hilton were so good that they took a 21-point 65-44 lead by the end of the 3rd quarter.
The final quarter was not enough for MoH to catch up with Hilton, although they fought hard in the last minutes and managed to close in through some excellent shooting, including three back to back long shots, through #8 Villanueva along with two more 3-pointers from #3 Barnachea and #5 Pelayo .MoH tried but time failed to favor them as the final tally saw them lose by 60-75 points. This was the only quarter that MoH dominated, scoring 16 points while restricting their rivals but in the end it was too little and too late.
The Best Player of the Game award was given to #8 Brian from Hilton Kuwait Resort.
Kuwait Energy vs Bayan Palace
Kuwait Energy were leading the category with unbeaten run in 3 matches including this week’s victory as they thrashed Bayan Palace by 69-33 points.
One of the toughest contenders for the title this season, Kuwait Energy showed their supremacy against Bayan Palace whom they overwhelmed after dominating the game from the start to the finish. The first quarter saw that Kuwait Energy were armed with good shooting skills as they managed back to back shot from #20 Ryan Ducusin, #24 Noel Payum and #11 Khaled Talledo while from the other side of the courts Bayan Palace struggled to find the hoops with Kuwait Energy leading by 16-4 points at the end of the first quarter.
It was not very long before Bayan Palace tried to get back into the game with a long shot through #6 Rading Nazareno and a couple of shots from #9 Peter Vasquez but it was not enough to match the shots delivered by Kuwait Energy who kept piling on the pressure and also put up a good defense through #0 Khaled M. Kuwait Energy got some back to back 3-pointers from #11 Khaled Talledo and #24 Noel Payumo that kept them ahead by 14 points with the score 28-14 at the end of the first half. This was probably the only quarter in which Bayan offered some competition, scoring 10 points to 12 by their rivals.
Meanwhile, in the 3rd quarter, the well oiled Kuwait Energy moved up a gear and put together more back to back shots though #1 Willie Rasay and #11 Khaled Talledo along with some brilliant shooting from #24 Noel Payumo who contributed 12 points alone in the same quarter. Bayan Palace were stunned by their opponents onslaught although they were able to get some points through #13 Teng Perez but Kuwait Energy left them far behind with the score 54-21. This was Kuwait Energy’s strongest quarter as they scored 26 points while Bayan could manage only 7.
The confident and vigilant Kuwait Energy squad knew that the game was theirs but this did not stop them from showing their shooting skills from the three point territory as they got 5 shots from that area through #1 Willie Rasay, #27 Jefrey Putungan, #11 Khaled Talledo - who all scored one each — and two from #7 Mohamed Faheem while Bayan Palace could not do much with only a little baskets coming their way - through #15 Rodel Pontaoy. Kuwait Energy seemed to take their foot off the accelerator a little as they won by 69-33 points.
Kuwait Energy took the Best Player of the Game award when it was given to #24 Noel Payumo.
Initial Standings
Rank    Teams    W     L
1    Kuwait Energy    3    0
2    Crowne Plaza     1    0
3    Hilton Kuwait Resort    1    0
4    Holiday Inn        1    1
5    Safir International    1    1
6    MOH        0    1
7    Al Tazaj        0    2
8    Bayan Palace     0    2
59ers vs SM Al Haddah
Later that day, defending champions 59ers placed themselves in the line for the semifinals, scheduled to be held soon, when they thumped SM Al Haddah 97-81.
The initial quarter witnessed both the teams in their best shoes as they seemed to be almost equal in their shooting skills with the 59ers getting some fine baskets through #6 Don Dwiggins and #5 James Galendez while SM Al Haddah opened the quarter with back to back long shots from #44 Roque Elman and #6 Baluyot Marlon with the score 22-20 at the end of the first quarter.
The next quarter saw a seesaw battle with SM Al Haddah once again opening up the quarter with a 3-point shot from #1 along with some good baskets from #4 Banua but their rivals fought back through #8 Ferdinand Manzano that kept them only single point 41-42 behind by the end of the 2nd quarter.
The depleted 59ers team soon realized that SM Al Haddad were not an easy opponent and they had put up a good line of defense or they would be in a lot of trouble. They did exactly that and also managed to get some brilliant baskets from #6 Don Dwiggins.
Meanwhile, SM Al Haddah came up with tight defense through #13 Lopez Marlon that handed easy access to #4 Banua to take most of the shots that kept them close behind with the score 60-63 and 59ers start to take control of the match.
59ers displayed a lot of focus in the last 10 minutes of the ballgame and showed what they were made of as they gathered some good baskets through #9 Ferdie Cortez and #5 James Galendez.  Although their rivals opened the last quarter with another long shot from #13 Lopez Marlon backed by a large number of the points from #1 they fell short and accepted a 16-point 81-97 defeat as 59ers pressed on the accelerator to not only easily take the game but also moved into second place in the standings.
59ers also ran away with the Best Player of the Game award when it was given to #5 James Galendez.
South East vs Tropaks
South East showed some real class when they overcame one of the best teams this season Tropaks after dominating the match from the start to the finish to win by 87-74 points.
With this victory South East, with a game in hand, have provided themselves a chance of finishing in the top four and securing a place in the semifinals.
The first quarter of the game witnessed South East all warmed up as they pulled off three back to back long shots, two from #4 Caesar Jose Serrano and one from #32 Arvin Piscasio while from the other side of the bench it seems that they were still warming up although they remained in touch with their opponents as they managed to came up with some good baskets from #71 Hakim Ahmed.
A good defense from South East with # Caesar Jose Serrano and #9 Jon Joseph Badua in the center provided opportunities to #32 Arvin Piscasio to drive in most of the shots. Tropaks put up a good defense through #26 Dakz Caduada and managed most of their baskets through #14 Otep dela Cruz and #71 Hakim Ahmed that resulted in South East leading 44-37 at the end of the 2nd quarter.
In the 3rd quarter South East saw that they had total control of the game and all the things were going according to their liking as they continued to pile on the points through #3 Joey West and #16 Jaime Perdido while their opponents tried to bounce back with baskets from #26 Dakz Caduada and #18 Marvin Macaraeg but South East did not let the game slip from their hands as they led by 64-55 points vat the end of the quarter.
The last 10 minutes saw South East put together three back to back long shots through #32 Arvin Piscasio and also got two long shots from #4 Caesar Jose Serrano while Tropaks gained baskets from #34 Darwin Juat but there was no way that the latter could get back into the match which South East took by 87-74 points.
Wearing Jersey #3 Jay West of South East was given the Best Player of the Game award.

FBL-BAP organizers would like to offer their special thanks to their major sponsor Mohamed Aba Zid - General Manager of Al Fuad Exchange — for the valuable support which will go a long way in ensuring the success of their tournaments.