The Saudi Ericsson teamJohn DamasoRIYADH – The third week action of the Juffali Basketball League saw three more teams taste victory in their respective divisions. The Saudi Ericsson team, headed by manager Alex Peralta and team coaches Alex Palacio and Lito Reyes, recorded a 98-87 victory against strong rival Jamed in the Inter-Department division. Billiones, Deinla, Rambacal and Wen powered the telecom operators to clinch their first win with Ravenal Arce doing the defensive tactics in the last quarter. The first quarter was a see-saw battle with both teams exchanging shooting skills in the shaded area, 25-23, but the winner rallied in the second quarter with the heroics of Deinla and Billiones, 48-37. However, Jamed regained composure in the third and narrowed the gap, 64-63, powered by De Villa and Fernando. In the last quarter, coach Palacio and Reyes fielded in their four top guns to secure a big win. Billiones topped the scoring with 32 points, followed by Deinla, 28, Rambacal, 16 and Wen, 12. For the losing side, Fernando, 34, De Villa, 27 and Quizon, 10, were the main scorers. In the Inter-Automotive section, United Motors collected it first victory against Jaguar, 87-78. The winner, composed of only six players, swept all quarters and went for the kill in the last canto. Marcelo and Mapagdalita had 20 apiece while Fabillo shot 16, and Pugosa 12. For the loser, Barnuevo made 24 while Ma and Romero got 19 points each. JACO also collected another win at the expense of Al-Jomaih, 98-94 in a thriller. Both teams had equal output in the beginning 20-20 then JACO took the lead in the second quarter 49-45. Jomaih retaliated in the third 73-61. But the winner did not surrender and secured a four-point win in the end. Pizza Inn also posted another victory over Coffee Essence in the Inter-Company division, 86-75. The winner was slow in the beginning but rallied in the last quarter to secure the win. Al-Hokair also had a big start by denying Petromin in the same group, 112-90. De Leon top scored with 27 points, followed by Canas, 20. For the loser, Balbona hit 23 and Brezuela 18. In the last game, Al-Hukaime came strong by defeating DHL, 67-60. It finally got their momentum after a sorry loss from Pizza Inn in the last week encounter. Wenceslao contributed 21 points and Presentacion 10. This event has the sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz, JIPCO, Western Union, The Filipino Dentists Group of Saudi Arabia, Laguna Lakers Cargo Forwarders, WRJ Freight Forwarders, Merex Forwarders and Pepsi Cola. It is organized and hosted by E.A. Juffali & Brothers. The Saudi Arabia Basketball Referee Association (SABRA) handles officiating.
