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PPL Season 33 Begins

NT SG Ulan Cantara scored 58 of his team's 91 total points scored but it wasn't enough to lift his undermanned Pro Tambays team to victory against Zebu Mayas losing 91 to 107 in one of the opening games of PPL Season 33. Zebu Mayas played with more intensity and had balance scoring with newly acquired guard Bernardo Lopez Jaena leading with 25 points. Manny Paranpan had 20 points with Benigno Besa scoring a double double with 18 points and 18 rebounds.

"Ulan Cantara is a very amazing player when he wants to take over the game." said Lolo Smithz owner/manager of Zwbu Mayas. " Val Evangelista couldn't even finish the 2nd quarter as he fouled out with only 13 minutes of game time. We were lucky that Pro Tambays were severely undermanned or else it would have been a loss for us again. Denzil dela Torre our newly acquired NT candidate center had a decent performance of 14 points 13 rebounds 5 assists with one steal. Hopefully he can crack the NT team this season. He still needs a little polishing on his skills to truly be NT worthy so if he fails to crack the team its understandable also. Winning against the Master coach and mentor Cezzz is one the most enjoyable moments this game has to offer. Hopefully our team will get a playoff spot this season."

In one of the more significant matches in PPL former champ O-Beshimi crushed current PPL defending champion Maroons 111 to 95 sending a very strong message they are ready to wreak havoc and reclaim their rightful spot at the top again.

End of an Era: Jardeleza, Tronco, Arboleda bid farewell to Bacoor

The Bacoor Blades have announced this morning that the celebrated guard triumvirate of Alexander Arboleda, Rodney Tronco and Dendo Jardeleza have been transferred to another ballclub as of last Saturday, May 14.

“After three seasons, two Finals appearances and a League III Championship, we are sad to announce the departure of three of our most important players that ushered in the most successful era of Blades basketball.” Said team manager TheDogMan in a statement today.

“The decision was not easy and was met with a lot of adversity from all fronts. There is no one else to hold accountable for this decision but yours truly – I have made this decision upon careful deliberation and analysis of the current situation of the team.” He further stated.

Members of the Bacoor community had mixed to negative reaction towards the news, with numerous reports of protests and phone-in complaints as well as reactions on social media.

“I understand the tension and the emotion that this development has entailed, but what you can be assured of is that the team will not stop playing for you and that us, the management shall not cease to making the team better from here on forward.”

The team managed a 15-7 record during the elimination round this season, good for the #3 seed. But the Cavite five was booted out of the Conference Semifinal by Pibulls.

“These three individuals will probably be remembered best for their contributions to the League III Championship that elevated our status as a franchise. And for that, we will forever be truly grateful.”

Jardeleza, curiously enough, was acquired after a controversial departure of three veteran guards at the conclusion of Season 31. But the spitfire guard quickly earned the respect of his peers and the adoration of the Bacoor community with his prolific scoring and clutch performances, immediately garnering the role of the Blades’ top gun.

Arboleda joined the club in the middle of Season 32, when the team sought to shore up their guard rotation. With his hustle and passing ability, he became the team’s sixth man providing much-needed energy from the sidelines.

Tronco was acquired towards the end of the elimination round of Season 32. And with his long-range accuracy and defensive prowess, he became a lethal 2nd option for the Blades on the perimeter. He showed his wares during the League III.13 Championship series when he took over the cudgels when Jardeleza fouled out.

What went wrong?

Rising Sun Arena, Shizuoka, Japan -- It was a short lived tenure in the PPL as the Fuji Rising Sun bow down in their relegation match against Gwapsak.

Asked what happened with their season, the management released this statement:

"As you all know, we pride ourselves in being a perennial contender, tournament winner all while being a proud All-Filipino team.

We were a Top-4 team in the National Tournament that affected our standing in the Philippine Premier League. We were so busy in real life business that we didn't spend much for our team here in the league. We have a low payroll (100k) less and instead of paying for caliber players, we are penalized by the Player Salaries Floor. In hindsight, we should've spent those money to compete but we didn't notice until it was too late and there are no more players to our liking. So, it definitely contributed to the short-lived tenure of our team in the Premier League."

Asked about their plan moving forward, GM Maro said "we intend to rebuild. We've been trying to for quite some time but our players are performing. Now that we managed to make the PPL again albeit just one season, we want to move forward with our young guns instead of our reliable veterans.."

With that, expect the Fuji Rising Sun to put their players in the market esp. their veterans and see their value. "They're invaluable to us, but perhaps, it's time to let go.."

Rising Sun Arena, Shizuoka, Japan -- At 23:15 the Fuji Rising Sun management decided to put up a fire sale of their current roster. "It's not really a fire sale per se as we value our players," Sun's owner Yo Chi said. "Afterall, they've been here for a long-time but we would like to rebuild."

The Sun's are currently 1-1 and is poised to win - if not at least make the playoffs in the league if they retain their players - but the management really wants to do a "makeover" of their group.

"We feel this is it for Rebo and Grava," Maro said. "they gave it all their two seasons ago to make the playoffs but we disappoint them when we underspend in the Premier League."

Rumor has it that the Suns are "open" to sell the available players at the right price. An insider said, "PM and management will listen."

Lechoneros tops League II.2, heading to the PPL

The Talisay Lechoneros finally bagged their first ever League II crown. Team owner and former manager could not contain his emotions as he raised the trophy in front of their loyal fans.

“We have come a long way and had been through a lot but at last we did it!”, Nz exclaimed. Talking to the crowd, “ we would not been able to achieve this accomplishment without going through hell but finally we came out on top", he exclaimed.

It can be recalled that 4 seasons ago that NZ, with his K pop career starting to take off, together with board members of the team decided to go a different direction and looked for a replacement GM. They hired the former memongs manager Don Manoah. Almost everybody remember him as a fouled mouth manager, firing f…. bombs left and right with a sprinkle of pis….ng y..a on the side .

But he gets things done as his resume will show. During the Golden age of Buzzebeater in the Philippines, he took the memongs to a finals stint on the PPL and appeared on the the Philippines Cup finals twice.

Eyes were raised when the first order of business by Don Manoah was to change the team name from Holy Saints to Talisay Lechoneros. Fans were enraged especially the season ticket holders that have been Saints fans since its inception. “I have made this decision for the organization to realize that it’s a dawn of a new era”, he explained. “we will no longer be push overs and we will approach every single game as warriors. And if anybody is still not satisfied with that response, well I already did cause I can mga pis… y..a!”, he shouted.

He immediately made an impression to the core players of the team. They realized that he was tough and rough (there was an alleged incident that had Rondalla on a choke hold until Rondalla fainted for being late for one minute for practice). But he was also a father figure to most of the young players. He would make comfort foods for the players during away games that cures the most extreme homesickness away ( he once was offered to become a sous chef for Gordon Ramsay but he declined citing Ramsay to be too conservative in his hauls of profanities)

Sought by reporters about his plans now they PPL bound, the Don sighed, “ Can you all mfs at least me enjoy this moment? Look PPL is a different animal to tackle with. We are talking here the best 16 teams of the country and if you f… up one aspect of this game then sayonara! Ahh just the thought of it gives me a headache!” He quickly shouted, “ Now all of you get of my face and let me enjoy my 5 years rhum and lechon paksiw!!!”

As they say, Winning cures everything.

Sharks trump rival Jazz in season opener

League III.10 Elimination Round
SN Forum

The San Nicolas Sharks exact a modicum of revenge against their bitter rivals Gilas Jazz as they both opened their season in the SN Forum, 114-111.

Coming off their high-octane encounter in last season's Conference championship game a few weeks ago, the Sharks and the Jazz took about half a quarter to warm their engines up. Both teams combined for just 9 points in the first five minutes of the opening canto.

But once they got going, they both went off all game long. It was a back and forth affair until the final moments of the game. Just after the 2 minute mark, Hector Casas nails a thee pointer to go up by two, 108-106. But a jam from newcomer Yousef Bin-Yaseen underneath and a three from fellow newbie Pablo López gave them the lead at 111-108. Avraham Egozi then gets fouled and shoots two from the line, making the first but missing the second shot. But the rebound was caught by Casas and ended up with Edu Vasa for a layup to again put the game on deadlock at 111-all.

Markos Papatrichas finally broke the deadlock for the last time with a jumper to make it 113-111. The Jazz sue for time with about 22 ticks left, which went awry as the ball was intercepted by Cas. The scramble for the ball saw it end up with Pere Cardona with about six seconds remaining and he pulls up from deep to try and win the game but missed.

"We dodged a bullet there in the end" said team manager Ceruver. "It's always a bind playing this team. There's something about this matchup the brings out the best of both sides." he further added.

"There's still tension there. It wasn't long ago when we met with the stakes as high as it can get. So there was a lot to prove entering this game." said Papatrichas, who ended up with 27 points on 52% shooting from the field. "They made an incredible run last season. They took the champions to the limit before they ran out of gas but that just gives them a lot more confidence. So we had to take care of this game."

New acquisitions Lopez and Bin-Yaseen proved their worth early by scoring 29 and 16 points respectively, while Koke Dzotsenidze had 16pts and 13rebs for the night.

The Sharks will face Icea next this coming Tuesday, followed by a BBM match against French Connection from France.

Sharks notch 2nd League win with drubbing of Icea

League III.10 Elimination Round
Namja Ileum

En route to their 2nd win of the season, the San Nicolas Sharks walloped their hosts Icea to the tune of a 39-point drubbing, 114-75 at Namja Ileum.

After a relatively close opening salvo where the Sharks were up by just eight, 30-22, the visiting defense choked the home squad to submission as by the second canto, allowing just 15 points while scoring 31 of their own to increase the spread to 24 by halftime, 61-37.

Icea showed a little fight in the third quarter but merely exchanging baskets with the Cavite-based squad was not the best of outcomes. With the lead ballooning to about 30 points during the start of the last quarter, it was already extended garbage time from that point on.

The Sharks backcourt came to play, with Markos Papatrichas scoring game-high 33 points followed by AD Cas's 25 markers. Paco Barrueso scored 20 points off the bench for the Sharks, who were playing without the services of Yousef Bin-Yaseen, Pablo López and Koki Dzotsenidze, who were all rested for the game.

"These were the wins we need to have if we want to re-establish ourselves as a top threat in the League." said team manager Ceruver. We need to take advantage of these games and provide confidence to as much members of our roster as possible.

"It's a good tuneup for the long road ahead." said a determined Papatrichas, who also dished out eight assists in the win. "We have a BBM game and a Cup game all in one day so getting the rest of the boys geared up for those outings will surely be an advantage for us." he further added.

The Sharks will be facing French Connection from France to begin their BuzzerBeater Madness campaign at 7am on July 8th followed by their National Tournament game against 5th leaguer dipinsa at 5:30pm on the same day. They return to League action on the 10th of July hosting Pussy Cats at the SN Forum.

Sharks overwhelm opponent in BBM opener

BuzzerBeater Madness
Neutral Ground

It did not take long for the San Nicolas Sharks to dispose of their French counterparts, French Connection, to the tune of a 96-62 blowout win on neutral ground to notch their first win in the inaugural season of BuzzerBeater Madness.

The Sharks were hot out of the gate, scoring the first 11 points of the game. This initial blast was not immediately followed through as the first quarter concluded with the Sharks leading at 19-8.

This was when the Sharks decided to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. The Cavite five dominated the period with scoring 28 points while allowing only 10 for the French squad. The first half ends with the Sharks pretty much at the driver seat, 47-18.

With the game already out of reach early, team manager Ceruver decided to rest the starters for the majority of the 2nd half, using them sporadically as and when scoring runs were being attempted by the other side.

"It was pretty much straightforward when we saw the way they played in the first few minutes that we were ready to make adjustments early and implement our system from the 2nd quarter onwards." Ceruver mentioned. "The objective was to remove their sweet spot within the perimeter and make it hard for them to even take shots there." the Sharks' gaffer added.

"Overall, I'm very happy with the way we defended in this game. They stuck to their individual assignment and it paid off." Ceruver said in conclusion.

Pablo López topscores with 23 points, followed by Markos Papatrichas' 21. Double-double performances from Yousef Bin-Yaseen and Koki Dzotsenidze as well in the victory. But the key stat is the fact that due to the enormous lead early on, the starters did not have to spend much time on the floor, with Papatrichas seeing the most time at 32 minutes.

"We're all figuring this new tournament format out just like the rest of the teams." said Papatrichas. "We have such a tight turnaround for our next game so this type of result can only help us as we can rest our key guys for the road ahead if need be."

The Sharks will not be able to savor much of this victory as they will have to return to the SN Forum later today to face dipinsa in their opening National Tournament assignment at 5:30pm.

Sharks cap double game-day with dominant Cup win

Pilipinas National Tournament
SN Forum

There was no punches pulled as the San Nicolas Sharks showed their might against a hapless dipinsa team, 132-33, in front of a sold-out SN Forum.

Even without the backcourt tandem of Markos Papatrichas and AD Cas, both of whom were rested for the game, the new boys of Pablo López, Koki Dzotsenidze and Yousef Bin-Yaseen came out to play and walloped the visiting side. The Cavite five lorded over 33 points in the opening canto while allowing just eight on defense.

The second quarter did not prove to be any better for dipinsa as they scored only five points while getting pummeled for 25 by the Sharks for a 58-13 spread at the halfway mark.

It was extended garbage time from then on. But given the short rotation the big guns saw a lot of playing time, and the lead kept growing and growing. The Sharks did not relent until the final buzzer, as the gap between the two squads nearly reached the century mark.

López again topscored for the Sharks, notching a triple-double with 41 markers, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, followed by Paco Barrueso with 31. Both Dzotsenidze and Bin-Yaseen scored 20 while Arlie Villarin had 18 of his own.

"Not a bad way to end the day." team manager Ceruver chided. "It's a good feeling to score back-to-back wins on the same day. It shows how we are capable of pacing ourselves and still getting results that we need." he further added.

"It's still the start of the season though. We'll see how we really fare when we are in the midst of the regular season and competing in as much competition as we can."

"This was a good win, but this is just the beginning. Let's see how far we can go in the Cup as well as with the other competitions that we're in right now." said López.

The victory caps off a busy gameday that saw them win against French Connection in their BuzzerBeater Madness season opener. The Sharks will return to action as they look to extend their good form in the League against Pussy Cats in the first of their three televised games this season.