MLKP Cebu, Montana Davao, Duterte Agilas-Goldstar, Zamboanga square off

M.Lhuillier Kwarta Padala arrived on Thursday morning to complete the four-team event of the 2008 Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte-Araw ng Dabaw Basketball Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The Cebuanos will face two Davao teams, the Montana Pawnshop and Duterte Agilas-Goldstar Hardware and the visiting Zamboanga Latinos.

Games will be played every 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. until Sunday, March 16.

The visiting Philippine Air Force arrived in Davao with an inferior line up that forced organizers to field the squad to the commercial B tournament against Goldstar and PhilHealth.

Agilas-Goldstar, Montaña cagers face visitors on Wednesday

The Duterte Agilas-Goldstar Hardware and Montaña Pawnshop Davao will face the visiting teams at the start of the 2008 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte-Araw ng Dabaw Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, March 12, at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The opening ceremony starts at 5 p.m.

Zamboanga City and the Philippine Air Force based in Pasay City will face the hosts.

The Airmen will be bannered by Joselito Zantua, Reynold Capati, Jesus Botor, Rey Cepe, Norberto Bandong, Emilio Ocampo, Rolando Pascual, Paulino Fernandez, Michael Jimenez, Jermaine Guerrero, Joaquin Dindo Torres, Wilfredo Casulla, Ryan Tongio, Randy Lopez and Christopher Von Navo.

The Zamboangueños are Cris Concepcion, Darwin Cordero, Emrey Ramirez, Jomie Alvarez, Junie Navarro, David Sebastian, Tantan Parreño, Eter Chua, Jeffrey France, Ronald Saracho and team manager Jun Navarro.

Team owner Armand Quibod will field in Marvin Poloyapoy, Biboy Clavel, Charlie Braga, Ryan Abanes, Dado Ayson, Ronald Lamocha, Junel Jawod, Mike Maniego, Lendi Dawal, Jojo Endrinal, Arden Guiyab, Harold Sta.Cruz and Tata Fernandez.

M.Lhuillier Kwarta Padala of Cebu will play on the second day on March 13.

Games will be played every 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. until Sunday, March 16.

Zambo team joins RRD-Araw cage loop

Zamboanga City has confirmed its participation to the 2008 Mayor RRD-Araw ng Dabaw Basketball Tournament on March 12 to 17 at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The Zamboanga squad will be bannered by Cris Concepcion, Darwin Cordero, Emrey Ramirez, Jomie Alvarez, Junie Navarro, David Sebastian, Tantan Parreño, Eter Chua, Jeffrey France, Ronald Saracho and two other big men that will be named soon by team manager Jun Navarro.

M.Lhuillier Kwarta Padala of Cebu City, Montaña Pawnshop Davao and Philippine Air Force have been invited to join the six-day event and another Davao squad, possibly a combined squad of the Duterte Agilas and Goldstar Hardware will be the fifth team.

Entrance is free at the DCRC and would be spectators are advised to follow the security measures to be implemented by the local authorities.

Montaña Pawnshop ready for action in RRD-Araw cage loop

Montaña Pawnshop is ready for action in the 2008 Mayor RRD-Araw ng Dabaw Basketball Invitational Tournament on March 13 to 16 at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The Pawnbrokers will be banking on Marvin Poloyapoy, Biboy Clavel, Charlie Braga, Ryan Abanes, Dado Ayson, Ronald Lamocha, Junel Jawod, Mike Maniego, Lendi Dawal, Jojo Endrinal, Arden Guiyab, Harold Sta.Cruz and Tata Fernandez.

Head coach is Nick Serafica with Dodong Cagampang and Peter Epe as assistants.

The Pawnbrokers will be up against the visiting M.Lhuillier Kwarta Padala of Cebu City, Philippine Air Force of Pasay City and Zamboanga City.

The tournament is organized by the BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas XI and supported by the Sports Development Division-City Mayor’s Office as part of the 2008 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte-Araw ng Dabaw Sports Festival.

PBA All-Star weekend set

Kelly Williams of Sta.Lucia Realty.

KELLY Williams' crowd-pleasing, last second power slam in Game 2 of the semifinals series between Sta. Lucia and Alaska created quite a stir in the last PBA Philippine Cup.

Come the All-Star weekend, the 6-foot-3 high-leaping Realtor gets all the chance he can to strut his dunking ability before a nationally televised event.

The Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference is among the handful expected to add color and flavor to a slam dunk contest predicted to be as exciting as the
All-Star game main fare between the North and South teams.

Bacolod is this year's host of the mid-season spectacle set April 24-27.

Other possible highly flyer entries into the contest serving as one of the side events of the PBA's annual classic are Air21's Arwind Santos, former champion
Cyrus Baguio of Red Bull, Welcoat rookie Joe Devance and three-time defending titlist KG Canaleta, also of Air21.

Canaleta won an unprecedented third straight title last year in Baguio City, routing Talk `N Text's Jay Washington in the final, 79-54, behind a windmill
side-winder and a thunderous one-hander above a man, with the free throw line as his take-off point.

No player in the history of the contest has won the slam dunk title four consecutive times.

Williams was entered in the same contest a year ago, but never got past the eliminations when he failed to convert twice his between-the-legs jam.

Canaleta admitted Williams' early ouster somewhat eased off the pressure on him, making this year's slam competition easily one of the most highly anticipated in years.

"Malaking pressure ang nawala sa akin noong nawala si Kelly," said Canaleta then.

Apart from the slam dunk, other side events to be played in the All-Star festivities are the three-point shootout, trick shot and the obstacle challenge.

San Miguel's sweet shooting guard Dondon Hontiveros is the reigning three-point shootout king, Willie Miller of Alaska holds the title in the obstacle challenge while Denok Miranda is the defending champion in the trick shot.

Also part of the All-Star week is the Blitz Game between the Rookies and Sophomore. Last year behind the 31 points of Santos, the freshmen scored a
breakthrough 122-107 rout of the Sophies.

Panabo City to host PBA Fiesta Cup

Davao's Peter June Simon (center) plays for Purefoods.

James Yap (extreme right) closely guarded and Rommel Adducul (center) is ready to provide the screen.

Sta.Lucia Realty celebrates their victory in the PBA at the expense of Purefoods on March 2.

The Philippine Basketball Association is taking its act down south with an exciting match-up pitting the Coca-Cola Tigers and the Talk N Text Phone Pals on March 29 at the Panabo Multi-Purpose Tourism, Cultural and Sport Center in Davao del Norte.

Organized by the city's local government unit led by Mayor Jose Silvosa Sr., the lone game scheduled at 4:30 p.m. highlights the celebration of the 7th Araw ng Panabo City.

The Panabo stop is an official provincial game and serves as an appetizer of the import-laced 2008 PBA-Fiesta Cup, which will commence formally on March 30 at the Araneta Coliseum with a double-header featuring Welcoat against Air 21 at 4:30 p.m. and Red Bull against Barangay Ginebra at 6:50 p.m.

With a good three weeks remaining before the second conference gets going, most of the teams are still busy shopping around for prospective imports.

To date, only the Talk N Text Phone Pals have made an announcement on the identity of their import -- Aaron DeShon McGhee, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound power forward who starred for the Oklahoma University Sooner that reached the 2002 US NCAA Final Four.

Understandably, teams are taking time searching for reinforcement because this year's edition of the Fiesta Cup features imports with unlimited height. Not to mention, the handicapping system applies on Coca-Cola and Welcoat – two teams that finished 9^th and 10^th in the elimination round of the just concluded PBA Philippine Cup.

That means the Tigers and the Dragons are privilege to beef their teams with two imports (One of unlimited height and another not over 6-foot-1).

The last time the league adopted the open height limit for imports, TnT and the San Miguel arrange a final showdown with the Beermen, powered by Ardian "Ace" Custis, capturing the 2005 Fiesta Conference title.

The Alaska Aces are the defending champion of this year's Fiesta Cup.

CMO leads RRD-Araw-DaCHEA tourney

The City Mayor’s Office teams were ahead in the team standings in the 2008 RRD-Araw ng Dabaw-DaCHEA Basketball and Volleyball Tournaments as of Tuesday.

The CMO dribblers remained undefeated at the City Hall Drive with five wins, followed by the City Administrator’s Office under team manager Erwin Alparaque with three wins and two losses.

The General Services Office of Atty.Marvin “Oying” Melodias placed at third with a 2-1 win-loss record followed by Sangguniang Panlungsod with 2-2.

In men’s volleyball played at the RizalPark, the CMO also took the lead with a clean 4-0, followed by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office with 3-0, SP with 2-2 and City Admin with 1-2.

In women’s volleyball, City Engineer’s Office led bracket A with 2-0 while SP headed bracket B with 3-0 record.

Games will resume on Wednesday.