KSA - Saudi Ready Mix and Al Falak wins in EPBL Opener

DAMMAM (EPBL) – The first conference of the twenty-second anniversary of Eastern Province Basketball League (EPBL), dubbed as “Advisor’s Cup” with the theme “Re-living the spirit of sportsmanship”, kicked off last Friday at the Al Ettifaq Club here.

The crowd at the jampacked event witnessed another vibrant EPBL basketball opening. Thirty-one teams will be participating in the tournament.

Al Falak System Solutions and Consulting together with Al Enaizi Enterprises are the major sponsors of the Advisor’s Cup supported by Abdullah Fouad, Hoshan Office Automation, Phuket Restaurant and Cecile’s Catering with the cooperation of McDonalds and The Filipino Channel (TFC).

The most dramatic part of the conference opening was the color run. After the welcome address the emcee, Rey Liclican, cried “Ladies and gentlemen live from Corniche Al Khobar the EPBL color.” The illuminated white wall became a giant screen and showed Robin Santiago of Saudi Ready Mix, Mon Joson of Dammam Warriors and Rodante Luete of Metal Services carrying the EPBL flag and running on the seaside of Corniche Al Khobar. The crowd watched the live feed and after a few minutes, the 2008 Second Conference MVPs entered the gym and were met with rousing applause by the crowd.

EPBL founder and advisor Rashed Al Hatllan came all the way from the United States of America to grace the opening ceremony before the spectacle color run which delighted the huge crowd. The colorful parade of teams was highlighted by the awards given to Al Bilad, Saudi Ready Mix, Saudi Oger and Al Mojil teams for Best Management and Best uniforms respectively.

The best team muses were Leytenos Aisha Trettin voted as Miss EPBL with GCC’s Sokaina Al Qafashat as 1st runner up and Abdullah Fouad CJ Manalo for 2nd runner up.

In the opening game, Al-Falak, drawing premium performances from Chris Alfonso, Erick Antonio, Jonathan Marinas and Emilio Credo, enjoyed a tricky 77-68 victory over Abdullah Fouad in the Inter-Company Non Rated division.

Al Falak poured everything they had into their game in the second half and came for way behind to defeat a tough and tenacious Abdullah Fouad to open their first conference campaign in the Inter-company B Division.

Alfonso led Al Falak with 23 points. Antonio and Marinas scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, while Credo added 10 points.

Abdullah Fouad’s starters worked well in the first half but ran out of gas in the second. Their high scorers were : Juanito Fernandez (14), Archie Cabantog (13) and Barry Moreno (11).

In the second game, defending Intercompany A champion Saudi Ready Mix routed Al Mojil MSS 88-68.

Al Mojil started strong in the first quarter and built a 22-21 lead but the defending champion went on a 11-2 run in second period, taking a 48-38 lead at crunch time.
Saudi Ready Mix Rodel Caberte pulled-up two 3-pointers and MVP Robin Santiago had two unanswered lay-ups, allowing the Mixers to pull away early in the third period for a commanding 66-47 lead before closing out the rout.

Santiago led the defending champions with a game high 34 points, Caberte and Robert Paule added 14 points apiece to clinch an easy win.

Playing coach William Solano had 10 points, Jelly Castaneda had 14 and forward Andy Sayson had a game high of 20 points for Al Mojil.

In a related development, EPBL announced that their permit to allow ladies in the Ettifaq Gymnasium has expired.

“We are working on renewing the permit, but it may take some time. Therefore, at the present time, we are unable to admit ladies into the gym. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause”, said Commissioner Jun Sanchez.

In Saudi Arabia, it is prohibited to gather male and female in a public places. A permit should be obtained from the authorities if the event requires a mixed crowd.

The Team:
Inter-company A: Al Majdouie Group, Al Mojil MSS, Al Tuwairqi Group, Isam Kabbani, McDonalds and Saudi Ready Mix.

Inter-company B: Abdullah Fouad, Al Falak, Al Hoty Co., Saudi Oger, Laith Sports Center-SAAD Hospital, Safari Company and RVP Cinnabon.

Inter-company C1: Al Bilad, GCC, PI Consult, Jarir Bookstore, Ford Al Jazeera and FEMCO.

Inter-company C2: Metal Services, Al Iman, Radicon Gulf, Saudi Master Baker, Saud Consult and Al Hoty Calibration.

Open Non Rated League: Arcan Vita, CIASI, Dammam Warriors, Gulf Real estate, Markaz Daggers, Leytenos and Sharbatly Fruits.

By Romeo O. Navidad
FIBA Correspondent in Saudi Arabia