JEDDAH, 22 March — The biggest buzzword among basketball fans is the newest cage sensation gracing this part of the world otherwise known as the Bride of the Red Sea. Alvin Serrano the name and somehow the new kid in town got the chance to showcase his cage prowess before a sellout crowd in an exhibition game at the glittering awards night ceremony of the 8th Abdulatif Jameel cagefest.
Playing for the star-studded FFP Sunbullah against 8th ALJ inter-commercial champions Bentley’s Tea, Serrano upstaged more illustrious and more senior cagers to snatch the coveted Most Valuable Player plum while propelling Sunbullah to an exciting 98-92 win.
Mohammed A. Jameel of the ALJ Group of Companies principally sponsored the three-and-a-half month basketball event that culminated in the highly interesting exhibition match. FFP-Sunbullah, Giordano jeans & shirts (M.A.K. Jeelani), Dora Japan Home Appliances, Al-Haddaf, Calsons DTD Services, Star Supermarket were the minor sponsors. Individual sponsors are Robert Tapalles, Ghassan Makarem, and Mohammed Rasheed Ali. The Jeddah All-Sports Development (JADE) is the main outfit responsible for providing the play-by-play account of the Sunbullah-Bentley’s Tea exhibition match. Sunbullah coach Totoy Jimenez fielded a strong first five of Darwin Domingo and Ronald Battarao at the rear, Leo Almoite and Edwin Cadingan playing the wings and the six-foot one Alvin Serrano at center as against Bentley’s Tea’s Nap Solis, Aaron Mayo, Rey Bautista, Sihawi Sarip and Louie Cailles. Cadingan drew first blood with a left corner jumper at the 9:45 mark and Sarip immediately responded on a baseline drive.
Domingo hit a three-pointer to make it 5-2 but the trio of Mayo, Sarip and Bautista came through with a six-point cluster to grab the lead for Bentley’s 8-5. Serrano then let loose a triple from the left arc to tie at 8-8 but Solis and Mayo had back-to-back hits thereafter. Leo Almoite hit a baby hook and when the teamakers missed at the other end, Serrano collared the rebound, dribbled the at whole length and glided smoothly as he went for a door-to-door delivery to tie the game once more at 12-all.
Almoite and Battarao wound up the first quarter, scoring the next dozen points between themselves highlighted by Almoite’s turnaround from the left corner and an easy conversion on a beautiful drop pass by Domingo. Serrano then dished a behind the back assist to Almoite for a 24-18 Sunbullah lead. Bentley’s on the other hand refused to buck down from the onslaught as Mayo sailed a three-pointer cutting down the deficit to 24-21.
In the second quarter, Domingo wowed the crowds on a double-pump yo-yo basket and Cailles responded with an undergoal stab. Jong Rapada squeaked in to make it 28-23 then Mayo gunned another trey to close the gap to within 28-26. Totoy Jimenez’s wards uncorked a 7-0 blast for a 41-34 lead but in a similar fashion the teamakers responded with a 7-0 barrage of their own to tie the score 41-41. Quite surprisingly a stubborn Bentley’s Tea came threatening back with a 5-0 attack early in the fourth as Sarip scored on a left-handed hook ignited by Mayo’s block on Custonia. The hustling Mayo had a split on the line then forced a jump ball on Tolentino and Sarip converted off a good fake and an exciting match-up got stirred once more as Sunbullah saw its lead chopped down to a lone basket, 71-69. That lead rose to 96-86 with Domingo making eight points in a telling fourth quarter breakaway before Serrano hounded by Solis at mid-court rattled off a three-pointer. Mayo and Sarip conspired to whittle down the lead to 96-92 before Almoite drilled the final basket of the game.
