Monday 18 April 2011

Archers shoot down Eagles in Dubai

Posted by chardyboy on Monday, April 18, 2011 0 comments

source: By Angel L. Tesorero, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The archrivals in Philippine collegiate basketball gave the Filipino community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a down-the-wire hard court battle at the Al Ahli Sports Club Friday night.

After the smoke has subsided, the Green Archers emerged victorious over the Blue Eagles, 62-58.
Without a trace of jetlag, La Salle opened the game with a 16-3 run in the first 6 minutes of the game and ended the first quarter with a 10-point advantage over Ateneo, 21-11.

The ensuing second quarter saw an exchange of baskets from both teams but La Salle still managed to take control of the game and had a 4-point advantage, 34-30, at the close of first half.

Finding their shooting range, Ateneo went full throttle after the half time break and briefly enjoyed the driver’s seat via a 3-point shot by Bacon Austria which gave the Blue Eagles a 1-point advantage, 41-40, with 3:30 left in the third.

After the first deadlock at 44-all, Yutien Andrada and Almond Vosotros initiated a 6-0 run that gave back the lead to the Green Archers, 50-44, going into the final quarter.

Kirk Long’s drive to the basket with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter put the match into another deadlock at 54-all but the Blue Eagles went cold going into the final minutes of the game as Vosotros, the Green Archer who hails from Albay, answered with 6 consecutive points.

Vosotros led the Green Archers with 14 points followed by Norbert Torres, Mark Mendoza and Simon Atkins with 9 points apiece.

Sweet-shooting Nico Salva led the unsuccessful campaign of the Blue Eagles with 25 points.
The Filipino expats, donning their school colors, were not disappointed watching the hard court action.
Lito Soriano, an employee at the Emirates Airlines and president of De La Salle (DLSU) Alumni Association, said the basketball game brought back memories of his “good old, crazy days” when Ateneo and La Salle, the two most elite schools in the Philippines, have already been bitter rivals.

“Every Ateneo-La Salle game is a thriller and I am glad the Green Archers prevailed here in Dubai,” Soriano said.

Meanwhile, in the curtain raiser, Dubai-based United International Private School, beat a selection from the Filipino Youth Basketball League, 80-68.

The following game saw the Far Eastern Private School trounced New Filipino Private School, 64-50.
The goodwill games were organized by the Filipino Basketball Centre headed by Ramon Pizarras and supported by ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel (TFC), Majestic Hotel’s Tambayan sa Kanto and UAE Basketball Federation.

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