KSA - Saudi Techint clinch finals berth

DAMMAM (EPBL) - Ryan Briones came out smoking in the second quarter as he powered Saudi Techint to a 106-98 win over Mazda to clinch an outright Finals berth in the prestigious Eastern Province Basketball League here Friday.

Witnessed by the EPBL founder and Advisor, Rashed Al Hatlan, the game was too close to call in the early going with Techint ahead by a hairline with just over 3 minutes left in the second period. Briones suddenly exploded with three consecutive treys to give Techint a 65-53 cushion at the break.

Al Misehal Group and Isam Kabbani and Partners Group are the major sponsors of the Commissioner's Cup supported by Hoshan Office Automation and Phuket Restaurant.

Mazda couldn't keep pace with Briones and the Techint in the third canto as the lead ballooned as much as 19 points,but settled for a commanding 87-71 lead going into the final period.

Mazda tried to pull off a late rally to cut the Techint's lead 100-90 but failed to sustain their momentum towards the end.

It was the second consecutive loss for Mazda in the semifinals following an five-game undeafeted run in the eliminations. They will await the winner in the wild card phase between Arcan Vita and the Ilocos Snipers for the right to face Techint again in a Best of Three title series.

"We were very confident and no one displayed it more than Ryan," said Techint Head Coach Totie Mojica Jr.

Briones had his conference best with 37 points to lead the balanced scoring while his bother, Russel, added 16. Slotman Charlie Alvira had 12 and Jeffrey Mendoza chipped in 11 points. Bojie Macalintal had nine points off the bench.

Mazda's Marvin Maniago led all scorers with 39 points. Aldwin Bauyon and Ferdie Batang added 20 and 19 points, respectively. Joey Landicho was again a no-show.

Al Hoty 84; Jarir Bookstore 80 - Another superb performance by Nelson Sambajon eclipsed Jarir Bookstore's hopes of entering the Finals via an 84-80 cliffhanger in the Inter Company Bonafide B Division.

Down at 80-79 with 46 ticks left after a fade away jumper by Jarir's Ryan Martillano, Al Hoty's Sambajon quickly retailiated with a three point play off a foul from defender Marvin Abaco to regain the lead 82-80 with 37 seconds remaining. Vic Calub put up a defensive gem in the other end then sank the go-ahead jumper from the baseline to catapult Al-Hoty into the Finals.

ACEC Consultants 92; Rizal Pirates 84 - In the Premiere League, after a close three quarters of play, ACEC' Rolly Bisda and Efren Valencio uncorked an 8-2 run in the fourth period on the way to a controversial win after the Pirates walked out with more than 7 minutes left in the match. The Pirates got irked after its All-Star slotman, Art Palima, was called for an offensive foul on a baseline drive. As Palima tried to contest the call, he was given a technical foul prompting team manager and coach Juancho de Castro to stage a walk out.

Panda Aziziyah 89; Al Tuwairqi Group 85 - Zaldy Arances had two miraculous triples in the final two minutes to lift Panda from an 80-all standoff that sealed the momentum for Panda's ride into Best of Three Finals in the Inter Company Division A. The game was highlighted with five deadlocks and seven lead changes. With the game still close at 86-83 with 56 seconds remaining, Arances had another jumpshot while at the other end Tuwairqi's Teddy Lonzaga lost control of the ball on a sticky trapping defense by the Panda five for another fast break play. The Tuwairqi loss sent them into a knock-out match against Saudi Paper on Friday June 29, 2007. The winner will get the second Finals berth and will play Panda in a Best of Three Series.

Ilocos Snipers 76; DCH Dragons 61 - The Ilocos Snipers advanced to the Finals as they defeated DCH Dragons in the Non Rated Division. Following a second quarter offensive treat with an 8-0 run, the Snipers grabbed the 44-37 advantage and held on to the end from a close 27-26 in the first period en route to a 76-61 decision.

Snipers' Ace guard Melvin Borje had 27 points while Ryan Africa chipped in 18 and Charlie Rapanut added 8 points

Ilocos Snipers will challenge Arcan Vita in another knock out game and the winner will face Mazda team in the Finals.

Dragons' Edong Perez, Aldawi Ali and Benigno Cayanan scored 13, 10 and 9 points, respectively.

Al Falak 85; Sintec/Sogec 58 - Veteran Arnold Sta. Ana again found his shooting touch and recorded 27 points including his five triples that helped Al Falak System Solution to an emphatic 85-58 victory against unheralded Sintec/Sogec in the Inter Company Bonafide B Division. The win propelled Al Falak into a Best of Three Finals title showdown against arch rival Al Hoty.

Ayee Sanchez added 21 points while 6'2" center-forward Julian Alfonso drilled in 16 points. Roy Lirio and Benjie Canon had 14 and 26 points, respectively.

By Romeo O. Navidad
FIBA Correspondent in Saudi Arabia