E-Leagues Basketball: Sykes, Dreamscape make history

CEBU, Philippines — The Sykes Pioneers and Dreamscape Lions won the championship in their respective divisions in historic fashion at the end of the Tanduay Athletics E-Leagues for Basketball Season 14 last Saturday at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.

In the Elite Classic, former Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) standouts  Victor Manuel Rabat, Jan Michael Auditor and Earldred Cesar Montilla combined for a total of 61 points as the Pioneers downed the Accenture Sharks, 70-65, in the rubbermatch of their best-of-three finals series to end their 14-year title jinx.

The Pioneers haven't had a taste of crowning glory since ruling the league's inaugural edition in 2005.

Rabat finished with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks to emerge as the Finals MVP. Auditor tossed in 19 markers, 10 boards, four assists and three steals, while Montilla dropped 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in an all-around harDcourt brilliance for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers went through some scary moments after Accenture's Ryan Veloso and Sherwin Resilla put their acts together to forge a 65-all deadlock with 1:13 left to play.

However, Auditor scored on a running jumper to break the standoff. After Accenture’s Giovani Inez threw a triple that went air-ball, Montilla drilled in a booming triple that sealed the deal for the Pioneers, 70-65, with only 18 seconds left.

The Lions, on the other hand, also etched their names in stone after roaring past the Kyocera Frontiers, 51-47, in the deciding match of their own race-to-2 series to dominate the EVO League right in their maiden season.

Ralph Belarmino topscored for the Lions with 16 points spiked with a staggering 23 rebounds.

Jake Cainday also made his present felt in Dreamscape's title-clinching victory with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

Meanwhile, Mon Xavier Dico scattered 16 points, while Dean Junber Escalon and Hope Gideon Canonigo tallied 25 markers in between them as the Teleperformance Vipers bested the dethroned three-time defending champions Converters in their own do-or-die Game 3, 76-74, to settle for third place honors in the Elite Classic. (FREEMAN)