Alvaro helps Cabalen seal 88-66 win against Boodai – Virtuous outpace EPC Buffalos

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KUWAIT CITY, June 19: Alvaro scored the final 3-pointer for Cabalen to seal an 88-66 win against Boodai in the PBLK 5’8” basketball conference series Friday afternoon played at the Disabled Sports Club in Hawally.

Alvaro, MVP of the game, also made 6 rebounds and 14 assists. He made a game-high four 3-pointers as Cabalen rallied from the get go to clinch the crucial second victory in as many weeks in the 5’8” division.

Boodai suffered early game jitters, falling behind by four points at the end of the first quarter. And despite their coach calling a timeout after falling behind 2 points just 3 minutes into the game, the Boodai boys could never settle down while the game still was within reach.

Cabalen, playing past the fourth week of the conference, missed 4 of their first 11 shots but managed to recover and turn the game around, just six minutes into the opening quarter, surging ahead by 18 points at the close of the first half, 48-30, led by Alvaro who started to get hot only midway into the second quarter.

Alvaro’s partnership in the first half was crucial, as he shot in a clutch jumper while also grabbing an offensive rebound in the dying seconds of the half. He finished the game with 22 points from 8-for-15. Cabalen had the final 8 points of the third quarter, including two quick 3s from Gamboa to add to his side’s lead which stretched to 23 points at the turn of the period, 67-44.

The fourth quarter of the game saw both sides hit the court with aggressive offensive runs with Alvaro and Gamboa leading the Cabalen effort while Araza who finished at 21 and Reboy alternated in their barrages for Boodai.

The duo scored 11 points between them in the round as the game headed to the final stretch with Cabalen still in the lead as Araza and Bonnie scored to bridge the gap for Boodai. But in the final seconds, it was Alvaro’s three-pointer plus Gamboa’s layup that sealed the win for the Cabalen side, 88-66 at the buzzer.

On the other hand, Virtuous outpaced EPC Buffalos 86-66 following a grueling encounter. The first five minutes of the opening half saw a Batino shot from outside the paint to hand Virtuous some 3 go-ahead points to surge forward as Pateno and Alzuwaid mounted ferocious attacks on the opposition’s defense to raise the Virtuous side’s advantage midway into the half to 56-36.

With the tit-for-tat exchanges continuing and Buffalos trailing by double digit, Romero received a pass from Eric who lobbed the ball from behind the arc for a three pointer, then another three in the next minute to claw back the deficit to 23 at the close of the third, 45-68.

The final quarter saw the ball crisscross the court in both directions. Batino extended Virtuous’ lead in the final stretch with two successful free throws, and then hit a jumper from the foul line. After a turnover by Virtuous’ Bong, Eric hit a deep 3-pointer that further gnawed the Virtuous advantage down.

Batino’s long range 3-pointer after a Buffalos timeout quieted the crowd, and the point guard quickly followed that with a clutch jumper as the buzzer sounded for an end to proceedings, Buffalos adrift by 20 points, 66-86.

Also in the final game of the series, BHR Farwaniya outshone Kromozone 62-55 in a humdrum.

By Arab Times Staff

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