STI College Santa Rosa & Balagtas win opener

Del Rosario scores

Three time defending champion STI College Santa Rosa was rusty in the first three minutes but eventually fended off the tight stand of STI College Caloocan to come out with a masterful 104 – 57 win at the start of the 13th season of the STI Basketball Showdown.  Leading the three time defending champs is Aldrin Del Rosario who scored the tournament’s first three points. He would later score another three pointer to lead all scorers with 12 points in a balanced performance by the Santa Rosa dribblers.

Espiritu floats

All fifteen players sent in by Coach Leo Callado of STI College Santa Rosa scored with veterans Mark Arzola and Kenneth Batiquin adding 10 points each for a balanced Santa Rosa attack.  Reb Maunahan, Dean Fudotan and Addis Lizen on the other hand combined each dished out four assists each to show the unselfishness of the Laguna based champions. Reenan Sayao on the other blocked three shots. On the other hand, Kevin Bautista scored 9 points to lead the Caloocan dribblers who has improved from their last year’s performance.

Andres for two

Likewise winning by a mile and showing that they are again on a collission course with the defending champs is last year’s 1st Runner up STI College Balagtas. The bulacan based cagers used their superb defense to fend off a spirited stand by the vastly improved STI College Novaliches team to beat them 89 - 68.  Rookie Andres topscored for the Balagtas cagers as he scored a game high 24 together with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. The Novaliches team was led by former junior Olympian Charlon Untalan who scored 22 points.

 Untalan on the drive

FIRST GAME:

SANTA ROSA (104)

Del Rosario 12, Arzola 10, Batiquin 10, Almoro 9, Maunahan 8, Sayao 8, Salazar 7, Romero 7, Ferrer 6, Fudotan 6, Guerrero 6, Caraan 5, Almodovar 4, Lizen 4, Mamaed 2,

CALOOCAN (57)

Bautista 9, Dantis 8, Inocencio 8, Carcueva 6, Espiritu 6, Abin 4, Lansang 4, Sergioa 4, Alonzo 3, Argamosa 2, Diaz 2, Buenaflor 1, Roldan 0, Evangelista 0

Quarterscores:

26 - 18, 60 - 26, 80 - 39, 104 – 57

2nd Game:

BALAGTAS (89)

Andres 24, Miranda 12, Libastida 10, Guhiting 10, Hernandez 8, Asuncion 8, Dipasupil 6, San Pedro 5, Macapagal 4, Gumatay 2,

NOVALICHES (68)

Untalan 22, Ariola 13, Turingan 9, Cuenca 6, Manara 5, Abuel 4, Mallari 4, Dagondong 3, Artigulo 2, Shearer 0, Yco 0

Quarter scores:

21 – 21, 45 – 35, 67 – 47,  89 – 68

Loose ball action