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Deja vu: Mavs end season 24 with 7-15 record, bids PPL goodbye

Q. Arena, Fairview, Philippines -- So what to report? The Dahlia Mavericks was able to stay in the ultra-competitive Philippine Premier League for three consecutive seasons - the first two survived in a relegation match - and finally succumbing in an automatic ouster this season.

"We tried our best to stay in the league but fielding an All-Pinoy lineup surely is a factor," GM Nicolo Maro said. "but we are proud that we are the only PPL team to do so."

Fans and beat writers who attended the press conference were in a gloomy state and asked owner Yo Chi his assessment on what went wrong, "that's one good point by our GM. Another, we tried to prioritize many things such as training our players, competiting in Cup and not solely in staying in the Premier League. Of course, the competition is very stiff that there is very little error for mistakes."

It's been eight long season (season 16) since the Mavs made it to the Top 32 in the National Tournament which they achieved this season 24. best showing for them was in season 9 being in the Top 16. If not for their seasonal mid-injuries to crucial players that forced them to adjust their game plan, they might have as well remained in The League.

GM Nicolo Maro was asked regarding their plan moving forward, and the family-owned organization is planning to rebuild. And what does rebuild mean to them? "We are looking to be younger. Heck, we might not be competitive in the coming seasons to build our foundation."

Asked to further elaborate: "We are now 50-50 in infusing foreign talent as it is really hard to have an All-Pinoy team. But, precisely the reason we are planning to rebuild for us to maintain that All-Pinoy team with young blood."

The 'core' players of the Mavs is getting old that we will not be surprised if they put their players in the market. As for who will they let go or stay? We don't have a clue. But change is inevitable that the coming season 25 in Division II will be as exciting for their fans just as they were in supporting the team in the Premier League.

Thank you all for your continued support!

New beginning: Cresta Verde Mountaineers notch first win, defeats Spaghetti Sauce 106-93

Vulcan Arena, Q.C. -- After two seasons in the Philippine Premier League (PPL) the Cresta Verde Mountaineers (previously Dahlia Mavericks) moved in Division II League 3. Dubbed as the "Brooklyn Nets" of Division II with a sky-high payroll, the Mountaineers did not disappoint as they trampled 'rival' CleMeNZas Spaghetti Sauce 106-93.

They set the pace early in the game outscouring the Sauce 31-20 in the first quarter. They paced themselves from there that coming out of the 1st half, CleMeNZas gunned them 36-22 in the 3rd leading 72-69 entering the 4th.

They got back in their senses that they 'dominated' the final quarter 37 to 21 en route to a convincing 106-93 victory.

"We are confident in our chances but we got to get our groove back!" GM Nicolo Maro exclaimed citing that their execution wasn't that crisp as they were expecting.

The Mountaineers opted to rebuild in the offseason acquiring 19y/o Steve Valle and 24y/o Jimeno Tamban. They sold previous lottery picks Usamah Vidal, Glenn Gulfan, Jomar Montallana and Pete Carim.

In this year's draft, they were able to snag with the 2nd overall pick hotshot Abelardo Lambatan and solidified their bench with Wenresti Gravoso. "Our philosophy is to give our draft picks a chance," Maro said. "we are happy with their performance in our first scrimmage that we will evaluate them further."

The Mavs first press conference focused on what they did (in the offseason), will do (moving forward) that there wasn't much interest on their first game. One noticeable difference between the two is that the Mountaineers crashed the boards (68 compared to 35) but the Sauce dialed from the outside (15-38 3FG) led by Marion Sedigo with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists (6-10 from 3FG).

Rosauro de la Cruz led them with an all-around performance with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. "I am now given the opportunity to lead this team," he said. "precisely why they added me mid-way last year."

National Team Player Apolonio Sepulveda and Rhyan Tersol had a double-double with 14 (points) & 14 (rebounds) and 14 & 13, respectively.


Player of the game: Rosauro de la Cruz - 27 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.
Up next: at Balawis Elite

Rumors: The Mavs are not yet done with their roster. "Conyo" is still available and team captain Ananias Capuyan is not happy in the bench.

Breaking news: National Team player Apolonio Sepulveda sold for $950k

Vulcan Arena, Q.C. -- As of yesterday, there was no bidder for the 28 year old Apolonio Sepulveda. Despite the 'sky-high' payroll of the Cresta Verde Mountaineers, their philosophy is they are willing to absorb losses just to sell their beloved players for the right price.

Early this morning, GM Justme from Suomi of RakBa called and informed they will acquire the versatile big man. "We hope to improve our team with the acquisition of "Conyo"," GM Justme said. "we think he will fit seamlessly with our current players."

Team Rakba is no pushover as they're ranked 483 in the Worlds and 9th in their country. "For a foreign team to appreciate what Sepu brings to the table, that is something." GM Nicolo Maro said.

Sepu debuted for the Mountaineers and had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes. They didn't expect it will be the last time they will see him as they understand it is a process to transfer a player.

Regardless, the Mountaineers are looking forward to a new era. "We feel that we are almost finished with our 'rebuild'," Nicolo said. "new players will lead this team to greater heights!"

Player to watch out for: It is no secret that Benigno Besa will be given the keys to steer the Mavs to victories. He is looking forward to the challenge and is just waiting for the right opportunity to perform.

Cresta Verde Mountaineers nips Balawis Elite in OT, 109-101.

Balawis Elite Death Pit, Philippines -- The heated exchange between GM Nicolo Maro and Markang Bungo last week is just a prelude as they were meant to clash head-on in this weeks 'showdown'.

GM Nicolo's 'respect' theme enraged Bungo as he went on a rampage that close to a sellout crowd of 17,000 flocked the Death Pit to witness the execution of the loser.

In the first quarter, the Mountaineers raced to a 28-21 advantage as they were enthusiastic to chop their head-first. However, in the second quarter Elite put the same effort as they topped the Mountaineers 28-19 leading by 2 points to end the 1st half.

They exchanged baskets in the 2nd half leading towards the tense 45 seconds of the game. By then, Elite's starting forward Ren Xinli was fouled out chipping in 18 points. It's now Mountaineers starting center Rhyan Tersol to graduate contributing 15 points and 12 rebounds as he fouled Kerry Octaviano. However, "K.O" split his free throws and the score tied at 95-all.

AJ Magoncia was called for a foul that the Elite was able to regain the possession. They milked the clock but M.P. Cortez missed - there was a scramble for loose ball - favoring the Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers wanted to end the game with a buzzerbeater but Teodosio Amante missed and with still three seconds left, MP Cortez let it fly and missed - overtime!

In the overtime, both teams weren't able to execute their plays to start but the Mountaineers prevailed as the Elite ran out of gas.

Teodosio Amante led the Mavs with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. "The other team seems to have issues with us, we just took care of business," Amante said as he logged all but two minutes of the game.

The Brazilian duo of Elite Marcos Cortez and Giovani Moraes had 21 and 27 points respectively. Cortez dished out 10 assists while Moraes grabbed 17 boards as they both have a double-double. "We understand the bad blood between the two esp. that our manager is passionate," they were side-by-side with each other in the room "tonight, they are the better team."

The Mountaineers certainly didn't expect to see them early (was surprised to know that they were in the same division) but felt vindicated with the win. "Ooh, at least we will get to meet them in two months time" GM Nicolo Maro said.

In three games time, the Mountaineers will have their first TV game against Kurizo Hoops. They consider it a peaceful next week but is wary of So Akward Players, who has yet to win a game; and New Oagas Society with the same 2-0 record (as of press writing). Of course, it will also depend on who they will match up with in the National Tournament.

Player of the game: Teodosio Amante - 23 points, 15 rebounds & 5 assists.
X-factor: AJ Magoncia - 22 points in 28 minutes. "He was aggressive all night going to the line 11 times making 10!"

So Awkward Players notch first win, upsets Mountaineers 94-79

Vulcan Arena, Q.C. -- The fans did not show up on a rainy afternoon as the Cresta Verde Mountaineers reflect their fans support as they got embarrassed by So Awkward Players losing 79-94 for their opponents first win of the season.

"After that highly-touted matchup against Balawis Elite, we we're in for a letdown," GM Nicolo Maro said. "So Awkward Players doesn't want to start their season 0-3 and they played their best against us."

In the first quarter, Players led 17-16. However, the Mountaineers lost focus in the second quarter that the Players fired 29 points compared to their 16, trailing 14 points (46-32) at the end of the half. The Mountaineers played catchup the rest of the night eventually losing with the final score.

The so-called two-headed monster of Players Florante Neri and Arcadio Silva led them with 20 points apiece. Even GM Jeorge9 of division 3 Jeorgians acknowledged Silva as being 'unstoppable' coming from his division scoring his 20 points by the end of third. Asked for his comment, GM Nicolo Maro just shrugged observation made on Silva's performance.

Teodosio Amante led the Mountaineers with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 35 minutes for an all-around performance. Jimeno Tamban had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Santos Verano had 10 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Player of the game: Florante Neri, 20 points and 12 rebounds in 9-15 FG, 31 mins.
X-factor: Arcadio Silva, 20 points and 5 rebounds in 9-14 FG, 29 mins.

Notes:
a. Just in their second week of the season, the Mountaineers will face division 2.2 dumingag KaTuGa in their second game of the National Tournament. Perhaps that's why they made adjustments in their game against the Players?
b. AJ Magoncia scored 10 points in 16 minutes. People within the organization are taking notice of his quick trigger that is giving their team a boost.

New Oagas Society defeats Cresta Verde Mountaineers 100-85

Alconcel Sports Center, Philippines -- New Oagas Society hands Cresta Verde Mountaineers its first back-to-back loss of the season by a convincing 100-85 victory. The victory solidified Society's hold on the 2nd spot while the Mountaineers slid two spots at 5th place with their defeat.

"Do we mind slipping to the 5th? No. It's very early in the ballgame to mind these things." GM Nicolo Maro said arguably pissed by the question of a reporter.

In his first press conference, Mountaineers owner Yo Chi was quoted 'It's all about the effort! We should not be complacent as it is very much evident that we are the superior team!'

"With a 'mountain-high' payroll, the owner expects to win," GM Nicolo Maro said. "we understand we have the target at our backs coming from the PPL."

The game was relatively toss-up in the 1st half - the Mountaineers even leading 51-48 - but coming out of the dugout, Society roared to a 27-13 third quarter performance. They weren't done as they fend off every fight the Mountaineers had in the 4th ultimately winning 100-85.

The starting five of Society is the factor in the victory as they played all but two minutes! Carmelo Maciano led them with 35 points in a lights-out performance. Big man Bobby Montealto had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Renan Tidalgo grabbed 19 boards!

"I think they should expect best performance from other teams (all of us)," Maciano said. "yes, coming from the PPL is a factor and there is a subtle understanding that we want to beat 'em."

Rosauro dela Cruz led the Mountaineers with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The rest of the Mountaineers did their part but what matters is the 'W' at the end of the game.

The Mountaineers will face Division 2.2 Dumingag KaTuGa in the next round of their National Tournament. With their two-game losing streak, they said they wouldn't take the game lightly. "We won't have a three-game losing streak and be eliminated this early in the National Tournament!" team captain Fillmore Sabangan said.

Player of the game: Carmelo Maciano, 25 points.
X-factor: Bobby Montealto, 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Best player on the losing team: Rosauro dela Cruz, 28 points, 6 rebounds & 5 assists.

Notes:
The Mountaineers are satisfied with Steve Valle's all-around performance contributing 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Goon Squad are all set to Rampage in Div2!

The Goonies are all set to compete for the crown in the tough Div2.2 league despite the recent setback to Goons captain Elmo 'Piolo' Pascual, who was injured while playing against the rough Global 9 squad. Team owner Dusty pulled the trigger right away and brought in veteran reinforcements, Luca Cino and Joseph Lopes, to hold the backcourt while the captain is resting. "We may go negative this season but that is the price we have to pay to remain competitive in this league and hopefully, finally, take the crown. This is all for the fans, we must put on a good show.", Dusty told reporters during the signing of Luca and Joseph.

Joseph brings veteran leadership to the bench as he plays the point in the absence of Elmo. While Luca is known to be both explosive inside and outside. During the Goons rebuilding, the ownership has built the team up with the philosophy of being a tough and rough team and has since dominated the paint. And with the additional reinforcements of Maciej, Joseph and Luca, this rounds out the outside play as well. With such flexibility, this team will be a tough team to defend against this season.

Watch out for the Goons in the Finals!

Cresta Verde Mountaineers defeats dumingag KaTuGa 96-78 in the National Tournament

Vulcan Arena, Quezon City -- Currently on a two-game losing skid in their league games, the Cresta Verde Mountaineers came out firing to pummel division 2.2 Dumingag KaTuGa 96-78.

The Mountaineers started the first quarter with a 10-point lead and increased it to 31 scoring 34 against 13 in the second quarter to end the first half leading 60-29. The second half didn't matter as they have built a comfortable lead.

"First and foremost, I would like to congratulate our opponent Dumingag KaTuga for giving up a good fight," GM Nicolo said noting that they fielded their players to 'put up a fight'. "although it was a sorry matchup (meeting a formidable opponent just in the second round of the National Tournament) we appreciate their gesture of matching-up."

Fillmore Sabangan led the Mountaineers with 23 points in 10-14 shooting while Rhyan Tersol had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. The starting five of Nion, Navarcles, Zamora, Defino Quanxin played all 48 minutes for the losing team. They were led by Roberto Nion's 29 points.

The (5) Mountaineers are looking forward to meet (3) Kurizo Hoopers in a TV game next week. They have a relatively easy schedule in the National Tournament.

In other news, weary PPL team Celestial Wrath lost against division III Cabugao Ants 97-106 in the National Tournament. Last season, the Wrath also had an early exit. Teams are wondering whether there is 'changing of guards' from the old powerhouse teams to the new ones..

Notes:
a. The organization is satisfied with Claudio Regala's 14 points and 8 rebounds performance in 36 minutes.
b. Benigno Besa contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks with four fouls in 11 minutes!
c. Although they were happy to see Jimeno Tamban's aggressiveness, they weren't happy with his overall performance shooting 2-17 from the field with 5 turnovers in 37 minutes!

** Reserved for Dusty Goons(71) vs Manila Bombers(6) ** - 10/5/2013

Primer :
Last time these 2 teams met was 5 seasons ago when Edano was still a Rookie. "We were stomped on last time we played, I am excited to show my new skills and some pay back", Edano was quoted during their training sessions.

"I can't say that I'm not dissapointed that I can't play against them this time. I'd like nothing better than to show them how much better we've become. Of course, I'll be on the sidelines cheering for my team and studying the Bombers for the next time we meet again.", Team Captain, Top Goon, Elmo told reporters while rehabilitating his injury.


** The Goons suffered their First Loss of the Season **

100-88

Despite running with momentum on their side after winning 4 games straight, the Goons finally met their match against the country's #6 ranked team, the Manila Bombers. This is the 3rd time these 2 teams met and all 3 have now been won by the Bombers.

"It was a very good game but someone had to win and someone had to lose. Too bad that we ran out of gas towards the end of the match. We really missed the steady hand of our Team Captain in this one.", Team Owner Dusty told reporters during the press conference after the game.

The game was hard fought with the Goons taking an early lead but the Bombers caught up during the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately, top scorer Edano was fouled out after the 1st half and was unable contribute after trying his hardest to contain Conley who dragged his team to victory.

"The goal now is to improve everybody's fitnesse to the proper levels and of course ease King Goon, Elmo, back into the fold.", the team's coach was reported saying.

"I've made some huge mistakes as I was too zealous in stopping Conley from reaching the basket. I will learn from my mistakes.", Edano was telling the reporters in the locker room. "Our next match is on November 30 at their home court, so you already know that we've got our calendars marked for that one."

November 30 is Andres Bonifacio Day, the day for revolution. It will be fitting if the Goons can finally pull it off and defeat the Bombers once and for all.

Last edited by Dusty at 10/5/2013 7:59:17 AM

Just a bump

** Dusty Goons will go on media blackout for a few weeks while they go under intensive training **