DAMMAM, 29 August 2003 — Sigma Paints of Dammam maintained its season-long unbeaten streak to take its second League-A title this year via a two-game sweep of its arch rival, National Pipe Company of Dhahran, in the Eastern Province Basketball League’s 2003 Reinforced Conference at the Al-Nahda Sports gymnasium sponsored by Caravan Cargo Agency, Cali Drink and Phuket Restaurant.
Feeling the absence of any inside threat due to the early exit of Arthur Palima midway through the second period, after the prolific slotman got ejected for hacking NPC’s Anthony Nabong on the face following a rebound battle, the Sigma five relied on the outside snipings of MVP Omar Asmad, Mythical Five member Efren Valencia and rookie Allan De Castro for a thrilling 76-71 victory.
Sigma’s championship hopes suffered a near-blow when team captain, Ramil Zarandin, sprained his right knee on a loose ball in the early minutes of the third quarter. “We were the favorites going into the match simply because NPC is short on manpower. But the absence of Art and Ramil evened up the game. I told the boys to give everything they got ‘coz we promised this trophy to our management who’s been very supportive of us,” said Sigma team manager Henry Domingo.
Visibly undermanned and with no real point guard to show, the Pipe Makers, however, gave Sigma a run for their money by playing catch up throughout the series. Nabong, Murhaf Mohsin and Jordan Sinio teamed-up for 52 points to carry the multititled Dhahran cagers during the match. Key to Sigma’s win was the defensive clamps put on the streak-shooting Mohsin and Romwell Lampitoc, who got limited to a low 13 and 8 points, respectively.
“Without a deep bench, we knew beforehand that winning a championship against Sigma would be an uphill battle. We’re happy with the turnout anyhow. We gave our best and its very encouraging to see the maturity displayed by the players of both sides,” said NPC coach Gil Rivera, referring to the minimal emotional flare-up that characterized the previous match-ups of NPC and Sigma.
The Paint Masters are a title shy from capturing a rare grand slam. Taseco TMS is the only team in the premier category to accomplish the feat after winning all three conferences in 2000.
The giant-killing Tamimi Group of Companies pulled the rug under the mighty Zamil Industrial Investments Company, 91-84, to take its first ever League B crown. Tamimi finally found the winning formula after so many tries by recruiting the best B-caliber players in the league to match the import-laden firepower of the multititled Zamil. Defying the presence of 6’7 Saudi sensation, Ahmed Samter, and scoring machine Darwin Tuazon, Tamimi relied heavily on its run-and-gun style of play to wear down the gasping Zamil five.
Samter, playing without relief, got limited to 3 points in the final quarter after scoring 31 in the first three periods. Likewise, Tuazon added 28 points on a 31 percent shooting clip. No other Zamil player scored in double figures. In contrast, Tamimi got valuable contribution from its ward headed by Rolly Bisda, who topscored with 27 points and League MVP Ricky Lucero chipped in 19 points and 8 rebounds.
“I can say that we have assembled the best League-B team ever,” said coach Leonardo Dela Cruz, who himself is a former Tamimi mainstay. “We had rough sailing early in the tournament but we’re confident about the talent of our boys and we really believed that we would get the title this time,” he added.
Dela Cruz sacrificed the MVP chances of Glenn Abrantes by assigning the hulking forward to defend against Samter in the tandem with Franz Russel Manglicmot.
“Winning a championship is our primary goal. Our players knew that all they need to do is to play well and individual honors will follow,” said team manager Fonz Garcia. “We’re offering this victory to our company’s management for their unequivocal belief in us.” Tamimi’s best EPBL record was a runner-up finish in last year’s third conference.
In Division II, CISTA continued its Cinderella run by winning the title in its debut over the vaunted Saad Falcons, 81-65, in a merciless fashion. After going through a grueling knockout match with Skyscrapers and K. R. Bouhaymed to earn a ticket to the finals, CISTA, an underdog, scored a so-so victory over the Falcons in Game One but finished off their opponents in Game Two to silence their detractors.
