KUWAIT CITY, July 16: Holiday Inn showed some real class Friday morning when they brought Hilton Kuwait Resort’s unbeaten streak in the Filipino Basketball League (FBL)-Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) 4th Inter-Company Championship to a halt at the Bayan Bilingual School in Jabriya.
The Holiday Inn- Hilton Kuwait Resort game was one of the two matches played this week in the Inter-Company event as the venue is being shared with the 3rd Al Sayer Basketball League — organized by Toyota Basketball Association of Kuwait (TBAK).
The Inter-Company tournament sees action in the first half of the day while the Al Sayer Basketball League players take to the courts from mid-day onwards.
Holiday Inn were in brilliant form to inflict a 72-68 defeat on Hilton Kuwait Resort but the latter still continued to lead the standings in spite of their first loss in six matches. In the other match of the Inter-Company tournament, it was time for Kuwait Energy to display their basketball skills which they did with a 87-75 thumping of Baroue.

Later that day, Al Sayer Basketball League saw CBS Garage Mechanics outclass Jahra Garage 54-49 while the Spare Parts Department squad hammered Al Rai Garage 49-40, Lexus Garage were as usual excellent to remain undefeated when they overpowered Ahmadi Garage 50-31 and 2nd season’s 1st runners-up Ghazali Garage showed that they mean business this time around when they thumped defending champions CBS Garage Body and Paint 53-46.
Unlike the Inter-company tournament which is played for 40 minutes actual time, the Sayer event matches see games over 40 minutes running time with the clock not being stopped during fouls or even when the ball goes out of play.

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 strive to provide deliver quality 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.

Holiday Inn vs Hilton Kuwait Resort
Holiday Inn outlasted Hilton Kuwait Resort when they were in excellent form from the start to the finish of the match to spoil the latter’s unbeaten record with a 72-68 points victory.
The initial quarter saw both the teams in their best form with the Holiday Inn chalking a number of baskets through #5 Guerrero accompanied by a 3-pointer from #31 Garcia while from the other side of the bench #8 Sufocado replied the long shot with a similar basket and although they also got some good points from #24 Wang Hilton Kuwait Resort still fell short with Holiday Inn ending the quarter ahead by 19-15 points.

Holiday Inn pressed on the accelerator in the second quarter as they knew that their 4-point lead was quite slim and their opponents could easily catch up.They made sure that they planned their game well with a good defense and fast breaks while continuously passing the ball to one of their best members #11 John Prats who delivered 15 points, including a 3-pointer, in the same quarter.
Hilton Kuwait Resort were stunned by their opponents performance and failed to keep up mainly due to the fact that they could not convert their shots that kept them behind by 19 points with Holiday Inn leading the match 42-23 by the end of the first half.
Hilton Kuwait Resort showed what they are made of by stepping up a gear in the third quarter as by now they had realized that their rivals were not an easy prey. They repeatedly found the hoops with some brilliant shooting from #7 Marwan while at the same time putting up a very strong defence which did not allow their rivals to score as freely as they did in the first two quarters.

It appeared that Hilton Kuwait Resort were a totally different team in this quarter as they kept their scoreboard ticking while restricting the movement of Holiday Inn, who failed to match their opponents determination. Hilton scored 16 points in this quarter while restricting their rivals to only 6 as Holiday Inn led by 9 points 48-39 going into the last quarter of the match.
A mouthwatering clash was witnessed in the last 10 minutes of the ballgame that put the supporters of both the sides on the edge of their seats. Both the teams put up their best defense, Holiday Inn through #7 Felipe and #16 Mohammad provided a lot of opportunities for #5 Guerrero and #31 Garcia to fill in the hoops and keep their team ahead.
Hilton Kuwait Resort kept up their momentum with back to back baskets from #24 Wang, #7 Marwan and #18 Realin but they still failed to level with their opponents as they ran out of time and #31 Garcia made sure to put in both the free throws with one each coming from #5 Guerrero and #11 Prats resulting in a 4-point 72-68 victory for Holiday Inn, who managed to get 24 points to take the match although their opponents chipped steadily at their lead with 27 points in the last quarter.
Wearing jersey #11 John Prats and captain of Holiday Inn team was given the best player of the game award after he contributed 22 points.

Kuwait Energy vs Baroue
Kuwait Energy put on a good show and overwhelmed Baroue by 12 points 87-75 in the first game of the day.
Kuwait Energy managed a 4-point lead against Baroue in the first quarter when they opened the game with back to back long shots through #11 Khalid while Baroue put in some good baskets through #22 Ronan and #11 Reyes but they failed to level with their rivals.
However, it was not very long before Baroue showed that they were warmed up and immediately took the lead in the next quarter when they scored some brilliant baskets through #8 Vienjaz inclusive of back to back 3-pointers from #14 Ernest and #16 Solomon while from the other side of the courts #11 Reyes managed to get a long shot along with some points from #20 Ryan that put Kuwait Energy back into the game but Baroue held them off to lead 30-29 by the end of the 2nd quarter.

In the 3rd quarter, a tussle for supremacy was seen from both the teams as neither of them took things easy that resulted in a seesaw battle. Baroue got most of their points through #22 Ronan and #8 Vienjaz while their rivals kept close on their trail with good baskets from #12 Edmund and #27 Sidfrey but a 3-point shot from #11 Khalid that saw the scoreboard reading 52-51 in their rivals favor.
Kuwait Energy displayed their skills in the last quarter to walk home with the beacon as they collected amazing baskets through #11 Khalid, #20 Ryan, #3 Rommel and 23 Alagao who have seemed to have perfected their shooting from the free throw line. Baroue were outstanding from the 3- point area and managed 6 baskets from this zone with four from #14 Ernest and two from #28 Lizardo while they put up a good defense through #16 Solomon who was ultimately fouled out. Baroue failed to keep up with their rivals as Kuwait Energy went on to win the match 87-75.
With this victory, Kuwait Energy moved to second place in the standings as they have now scored four wins in their six matches.
The Best Player of the Game award was given to #20 Ryan, who scored 29 points for Kuwait Energy.

Initial standings
Rank Teams W L
1 Hilton Kuwait Resort 5 1
2 Kuwait Energy 4 2
3 Crowne Plaza 3 1
4 Holiday Inn 3 2
5 MOH 2 2
6 Baroue 2 3
6 Safir International 2 3
8 Al Tazaj 1 3
9 Bayan Palace 0 5

TBAK Tournament
While the FBL tournament draws teams from different firms and the reason for the competition is obvious, the Toyota tournament also sees different departments of the same company try to prove that they are the best but with a lot of emphasis on sportsmenship.

The following teams are taking part in the event:
1.Ahmadi Garage
2.Al Rai Garage
3.CBS Garage Mechanics
4.CBS Garage Body & Paint Team
5.Ghazali Garage
6.Jahra Garage
7.Lexus Garage
8.Spare Parts Department

Ghazali vs Body & Paint
The last game of the day was a real treat for everyone when two of the best teams this season met on the courts. Ghazali, who were routed by Body and Paint in the race for the title in the recently-concluded 2nd tourney, showed that they could hold their own against every team when they brushed aside their rivals after dominating the match from the start to the finish for a 53-46 points victory..
A low-scoring game was witnessed in the initial quarter as both the teams appeared to be warming up. Ghazali, however, made sure that they did not give too much away and led by 10-8 points at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Body and Paint put a good defense that allowed number #20 Richell Dayrit to deliver some good baskets but this could not stop their rivals from collecting some good points from the free throw line through #22 Christian Sumala and #9 Raymond Paguio that kept them close to their rivals with fewer baskets coming in this quarter. Ghazali could manage only 4 points while their opponents managed 6 with the score 16-14 in favor of Body and Paint at the end of the first 20 minutes.
Both teams showed that they were determined to win but Ghazali maintained the lead when they collected some good baskets through #22 Christian Sumala along with a 3-point shot from #20 Pacifico Rodelas while Body and Paint managed to fight back through #23 Ronnie Cervantes and #20 Richell Dayrit who scored a long shot that saw his team ahead 28-26 by the end of the 3rd quarter.
The last 10 minutes of the ballgame witnessed a mouthwatering clash when neither of the teams displayed any weakness. Body and Paint were called for two technical fouls that handed the advantage to their rivals. Ghazali picked up some points through #1 Philip Posadas and #22 Christian Sumala while Body and Paint managed to reply through a long shot from #20 Richell Dayrit that saw both the teams level 35-35 at one point.
The seesaw battle lingered on but then just like any other game there could only be one winner and that was Ghazali when they pulled off perfect baskets through #14 Mark Velasquez and #21 Miguel Buendia that gave them a 7-point 53-46 victory.

Lexus vs Ahmadi
Lexus remained undefeated when they displayed some real class once again to hammer Ahmadi by 50-31 points in a match in which everything went their way… well after the first quarter.
Lexus was off to a not-so-good start when they appeared to have left their right shoes at home which handed an opportunity to their rivals to move ahead, Ahmadi got an early long shot through #42 Conrad Beato along with back to back baskets from #23 Nicor and #14 Dingle that gave them a 11-2 at the end of the quarter.From the way Lexus played in this quarter it seemed that not only would they lose their unbeaten record they would also be routed.
But they had different ideas because it was not very long before Lexus moved up a gear and were soon going at full throttle.


They displayed their shooting skills mostly through #6 Mico Choi and Marlon Magusib, one of the veterans in this sport, backed by a good defense from #11 Osama. Faced with this onslaught, the Ahmadi team fought to keep the lead, generating points through #23 Nicor as Lexus closed to 19-20 by the end of the first half.Lexus scored 17 points in this quarter while Ahmadi could manage only 9 as both the teams fought really hard to control the match.
The well-oiled Lexus team put up a solid defense and opened up the 3rd quarter with back to back long shots from #8 Gery Domingo and #9 Marlon Magusib along with some good points from #6 Mico Choi and #17 Jerry Moran. It seems that their opponents shooting arms got locked and they could score too many points. It was not long before there was a 14 –point 38-24 lead Lexus 38-24 at the end of the third quarter.In this quarter again it was Lexus who dictated the terms by scoring 19 points and restricting their opponents to only 4.
Ahmadi could not still find the right game plan to turn the tables on their opponents although they acquired a 3-point shot through #42 Conrad Beato and some baskets from #24 Edson Domingo, Lexus were never complacent and continuously display the same level of skills and got points from #38 Orlando Letrita that resulted in them walking home with 19-point 50-31 victory.
With this victory, Lexus continue to top the standings as they have won all their three matches in this tournament.

Spare Parts vs Al Rai
Spare Parts brushed aside Al Rai after dominating the match from the start to the finish for a 49-40 points victory.
The first quarter saw a low-scoring game as both the teams seemed to be warming up and both of them focused on defense with Spare Parts leading 6-4 points at the end of the quarter.
The next quarter saw Spare Parts collect points through #15 Ronald Sotero and #2 Dennis Roxas along with a long shot from #3 Jerbel Teves while from the other side of the bench #11 Rene Cacatian and #12 Arlan Navarro delivered most of the shots as they finished the quarter ahead by 19-17 points.
In the 3rd quarter, Spare Parts continued to claim a good amount of baskets through #11 Alexander Cabacingan and #2 Dennis Roxas with some good defense from #1 Marvin Purisima while Al Rai managed to score most of their baskets through #69 Leomark Matutina but they were behind by 7 points with Spare Parts leading 34-27 at the end of the quarter.
The last 10 minutes of the ballgame saw Spare Parts stamp their authority on the game as they collected good points from #15 Ronald Sotero, inclusive of a long shot, with perfect free throws from #2 Dennis Roxas and #7 Anthony Dicon while Al Rai managed to answer the long shot through #26 along with some good baskets from #4 Rafael Bantique and #12 Arlan Navarro but there was not much they could do before Spare Parts took the game 49-40 points.

CBS Mechanics vs Jahra
CBS fought wisely to overcome Jahra 54-49 points after both the teams kicked off the game on an equal footing. CBS acquired back to back long shots through #18 Rafael Alquiros while their rivals replied through #32 Richard Garcia and #12 Marvin Olivares that saw them level on 8-8 points before very long. CBS displayed solid defense and gathered another long shot from #18 Rafael Alquiros with some points from #12 Chucky Mangila to finish first quarter ahead by 14-8 points.
In the 2nd quarter, CBS maintained the lead with fine shots from #23 Eduardo Grape along with another 3-pointer from #18 Rafael Alquiros while Jahra found a reply to these baskets through #22 Eleuterio Labandero and #12 Marvin Olivares they fell short of their target as CBS concluded the 1st half ahead by 26-18 points.

In the 3rd quarter, back to back baskets from #24 Rafael Flores and #18 Rafael Alquiros kept CBS ahead although their rivals kept on their trail and scored back to back 3-point shots through #10 Ismael Eposa and #32 Richard Garcia but CBS continued to lead and were leading by 36-29 going into the last quarter.
With CBS ahead by seven points it looked like things would be easy in the last quarter for CBS Mechanics but Jahra had other ideas and did not plan to give up without a tough fight.
The last quarter saw a determined CBS squad open up with a long shot through #6 Jonathan Batomalaque but Jahra showed the same enthusiasm that tied the match 47-47 as they generated a large number of points from the free throws with #12 Marvin Olivares, #10 Ismael Eposa and #32 Richard Garcia doing the scoring.
Releasing that Jahra could take the match away from them, CBS Mechanics picked up the heavy tools at their disposal and started to tighten the screws while moving their game up a notch to get some good baskets. Their strategy paid off when #12 Chucky Mangila and #23 Eduardo Grape the hoops to hand them a 5-point 54-49 victory.

Toyota Standings
Win Lose
1. Lexus Garage 3 0
2. Spare Parts Dept 2 0
3. CBS Mechanics 2 1
3. Ghazali Garage 2 1
5. Al Rai Garage 1 1
6. CBS Body & Paint 0 2
6. Jahra Garage 0 2
8. Ahmadi Garage 0 3
FBL-BAP organizers would like to offer their special thanks to their major sponsor Mohamed Aba Zid – General Manager of Al Fuad Exchange.
TBAK officials would like to offer their special thanks to Munir Khalifa, Assistant Manager Public Relations — Toyota Al Sayer for supporting their event.
For more information on the Al Sayer tournament, contact Jo Po 67095168, Carmela 66549044 or Jo Go 66221819.