KUWAIT CITY, March 31: Supremes’ Palacio Marvin and Olivares Joselito together roped in 42 points to hand their side the 79-70 win over Pinoy Kuwait as the 23rd Conference Open and 5th Conference Inter-Company categories of the Filipino Basketball League (FBL) continued Friday with a six-game schedule at the Nasser Sports Center in Hasawi after a two-week hiatus.
The Supremes, using a swarming defense and a balanced scoring game anchored by Tyron Bosito and the speedy backcourt tandem of Daniel Padia and Manuel Duyungan with Chris Robeso manning the post, Rodel Apepe and Eddie Sylvester on the wings, were on full throttle from the opening toss of the Open category encounter, racing to a 30-18 lead in the first two quarters of play and kept up the pressure to counter the opponents’ relentless attacks in the third quarter that resulted in both sides ending the session on a 62-62 dead even.

Joselito’s partnership with Marvin in the final minutes of the game made the much needed difference that saw Pinoy Kuwait lacking ideas and eventually succumbing to a 70-79 loss at the buzzer. Joselito and Marvin lobbed in double figures 23 and 19 with the former being crowned best player of the game.
In the game between Shrimpy Restaurant and MOD, the restaurateurs narrowly won the game 50-48. With both sides relying on teamwork, there were flashes of brilliance by #16 Flores and #26 Surla for Shrimpy and Orly Payumo for MOD who was shooting with an archer’s sight. Leading 18-15 in the first round, Shrimpy defended their lead aggressively, keeping the MOD forays in check. The game moved 10-6 and 13-14 in the second and third with the MOD rallying back in the last moments of the game.
The final bout unhinged an air-borne Orly Payumo for MOD, piercing the Shrimpy to bloat the net twice in a row. Shrimpy’s #4 Flores proved Robert Jacquilao’s equal as he set the hoop quavering with his fluid game play. Game ended 50-48, Shrimpy still ruling.
In another open category duel, the Titans got 13 points from #4 Mario Colado who went on to win the “man of the match” title for the day, 11 from Camacho and 9 points from #18 Carino in their 73-63 defeat of the Lokos in game three., atoning for their 62-72 loss to Shrimpy in their initial outing in the Inter-Company Division. The Lokos were paced by #18 Saplot who shot 11 points with Bonifacio adding 7.

Meanwhile, Anham’s failure to show up for their scheduled game against Crowne Plaza Hotel, handed the hoteliers an automatic win of the game with maximum points awarded.
Meanwhile, in another open category encounter, the 59ers notched their third win of the season-this time, at the expense of the Marina Volts who were hoping to better their win-loss record to 2-2 but that was not to be.
With their deep bench and superior firepower, the 59ers, led by Alsan Sablan and Juvil Sardenas, worked up just enough sweat to register a hard won 89-88 win in the tight game. Sardenas, who had a quiet game in their opening day win over the Lokos, led scoring with 13 while Sablan had 12, Aries Mendaros 9 and Dennis Santiago 8 points. Veteran campaigner Antonio Tan shot 14 points with Gomes Ali adding 9 in the Volts’ losing cause.
With three players hitting double figures, up-and-coming South-East shooters squad served notice of their title ambitions in the Open category group with a hard-won 79-75 result over the Tropaks squad in their game five encounter to register their second win in as many games.
With both sides equally matched and putting up their best performances, the Shooters though trailing their opponents 12-25 in the first quarter, quickly rallied to take control of the game and left nothing to chance despite their decided advantage at that point of the game.
With their second and third quarter 21-12 and 24-12 lead, the Shooters comfortably advanced to final victory despite Tropaks last minute rally that handed them a 26-24 final quarter lead. The game ended with the Shooters claiming a 79-75 win over the Tropaks at the buzzer. Arvin Piscasio and Cesar Serrano led the Shooters in scoring with 16 and 14 points apiece while Reyes Leo and Vince Vidal added 11 each and Ninoy Guiwa 9. Eric Malonzo scored 10, Marvin Macaraog 9 and Angelo Pavia 7 points in a losing effort for Tropaks.

Below are the open category team standings:
Team Win Loss
59ers 2 0
Desert Titans 2 0
South-East Shooters 1 0
Bad Bananas 1 0
Supreme Kuwait 1 1
Marina Volts 1 2
Kuwait Lokos 1 2
Tropaks 1 2
Pinoy Kuwait 0 3
With the end of the elimination series, the following fixtures have been made for the quarter-finals slated for the week-end following the Easter holidays.
n Kuwait Energy vs Al-Tazaj
n Samuel vs MOD Heat
n Toyota AlSayer vs Anham Kuwait
n Crowne Plaza vs Shrimpy restaurant
By kind courtesy of Kusina Restaurant in Salmiya, the best player of every game picks up a coupon to dine at the restaurant.