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Sharks shutout Big 8 All-Star team starters selection

League III.10
All-Star Roster Selection

Powered by a dominant season thus far carrying a 12-1 record, the San Nicolas Sharks are rewarded for their efforts as six members of their roster will join the mid-season exhibition game.

The backcourt duo of Paco Barrueso and Markos Papatrichas will be showcasing their wares in the big stage. Pablo López will be the 3-man while Yousef Bin-Yaseen and Koki Dzotsenidze will be manning the frontcourt for the Big 8 Conference All-Star Team.

Not to be left out either, they will also be joined by AD Cas as backup point guard for the game. The rest of the roster is composed of Pere Cardona and Avraham Egozi of Gilas Jazz, and Banin Suances and Cesar Freixo of markandmay.

Their counterparts in the Great 8 are no pushovers. new era ph's Clark Jones and Le Dibin will be the starting point guard and pivot man, respectively, with dakdakers' Brin Sequitin and Jerome Upchurch as the starting forwards. They are joined by Fehim Samur of The Nobodies at starting off-guard.

The rest of the Great 8 Team are dakdakers' Tomás Troya Lopez-Sor and Airlie MacCasland, and new era ph's Maxime Marrec, Aurélien Espagnet and Juan Ernesto Barco.

"I really can't say anything about the announcement. It's staggering." said team manager Ceruver. "Usually, when a team does well in a season it's because of one or two, maybe three players at most." he further added.

"But for our squad, we can truly say that it has been a collaborative effort all season, and this recognition just proves that point. They deserve all the praise at this point."

"We are grateful for the recognition, but we're there to represent our conference and most of all, have as much fun as possible." said Markos Papatrichas. "We've been on a tough grind this season and it's a nice way to pause and take a short break and entertain the fans.

The traditional mid-season classic shall be played at 18 August, with League action returning on the 21st of August.

Ohisashiburi

Fuji Rising Sun looks to rebuild

Shizuoka, Japan -- In a few hours, superstar Dexter Paul Tupas will move to his new team. It was a tough decision but ultimately decided for the franchise to rebuild.

"The past year, we have been runner-up twice," owner Yo Chi said. "last season, we didn't make the Finals." According to the owner, "we have failed our fans in not acquiring players as we relied on internal improvement and chemistry."

Tupas was brought three seasons ago to push the team and make it back to the PPL - which they failed twice. They consider the recent season as a "setback which is entirely our fault" since they didn't acquire any players and let their core age.

Insider told us that they will be relying on Art Rosalio, their very own first overall pick. "We never had a 1st overall pick," GM Maro said. "I could remember several 2nd's but never a 1st."

They hope to unleash Rosalio as Tupas may held him back in being the "franchise player" of the team. Hopes and expectations are high of him.

This may be a rocky several seasons unless management find the "itch" to sign players via free agency which is always an option with this deep-pocket team. "If they find a player they like, they wouldn't hesitate to spend," a reporter said. "they're always on the losing end of deals but they love their players and that's their identity."

Another observer said, "talent is abundant on this team but they have a lot of veterans which they couldn't let go. Thus, it stunts the growth of the youngsters."

Players to watch includes John Lloyd "Cruz" Francisco who was underutilized last year. As such, rookie Morty Encomio.

With an aging roster, they are also looking for a new home for Casareno, Corazo and Castrelo; Tuarez is also available. It seems this is the season wherein they will embrace and enjoy playing the youngsters!

The Bitter Pill of a Rebuild

League III.10
San Nicolas Sharks HQ

What a difference a few months make.

After finally breaking through with their maiden Finals appearance last season, the San Nicolas Sharks cannot seal the deal, getting swept in the title round by eventual champion new era ph.

"We were at the peak of our performance all season long, so for it to end that way was truly heartbreaking." said team manager Ceruver when asked about last season's squad. "Game 2 was pretty much indicative of where we were as a squad. We threw everything at them, gave them the best game we could ever muster and it was still not enough to win." he further added.

Since then, pretty much the lifeblood of the squad was sent on transfers in one fell swoop. Koki Dzotsenidze, Yousef Bin Yaseen and Pablo Lòpez were all sent packing in the offseason.

"We took a gamble by fielding the best lineup we could put together. It was showing signs of brilliance during the season, but we could not cap it off with the title." Ceruver remarked.

"It's not the best feeling when you've put yourself in a position to win it all and yet you can't." said top gun Markos Papatrichas. "The sense of finality is not as satisfying because it wasn't you that lifted the trophy in the end." he further added.

"I will not deny that while I have full trust in management that they will make sure that the team remains competitive in the long term, the departure of those guys sting hard and makes it seem like a void remains unfilled in our team facilities."

As of this writing, the Sharks have yet to replenish the lost depth at the frontcourt spots, with youngsters Victor Boteros, Marc Cerezo and rookie Pedro Morales manning the paint for the Cavite five.

"As for now, we are focusing on improvements to our revenue-generating infrastructure to try and improve our bottom line." said Ceruver. When pressed for further comment on when the Sharks will dive into the transfer market again, the Bacoor-based gaffer neither confirmed nor denied.

"We will always look into the market for prospects. We understand the frustrations of the fanbase as we too want to be as competitive as possible. But these are necessary measures in order to build a more competitive lineup in the days ahead."

"But for now, we implore patience with the Bacoor community and the rest of the Sharks fanbase." Ceruver concluded.

The Sharks are now three games below .500 and have already incurred as many losses as they endured the last two seasons. They will, however, have an opportunity to get back on the win column when they face Turd World Skanks tomorrow evening.

Sharks survive rival Jazz in epic encounter

League III.10 Conference Semifinal
Philippine Arena

Another scintillating chapter has been added to arguably the best rivalry in Pilipinas League III.10 today as the #4 seed San Nicolas Sharks barely escaped their hosts and Big 8 #1 seed Gilas Jazz, 105-103, at Philippine Arena to advance to the Big 8 Conference title match.

In front of a capacity crowd, the visitors looked to finish the game early. Buoyed by the hot hands of Markos Papatrichas and Thomas Proffitt, the Sharks would slowly built a huge lead that went as high as 24 points in the middle of the 3rd quarter, 67-43.

But the Jazz did not relent and began their fightback in the game to cut the deficit to 14 points at the end of three periods, 74-60. Their efforts spilled into the 4th quarter as Gao Guoqiang catches fire in the final canto but they can only come close to within seven points for the most part.

This changed during the most crucial moments of the game as the Jazz showed resolve beyond measure. After Gervil Traspe connected with a three-pointer, making it a 10-point game entering the final 2-minute warning, 96-86, the Jazz would go on a short 5-2 run to again stare at a seven-point spread, 98-91.

The Jazz would intentionally foul the Sharks to put them in penalty with just less than a minute remaining. After an empty offensive possession by the Sharks, the Jazz would sue for time with about 35 ticks to go.

In an amazing sequence of events, the Jazz's Pere Cardona would make a three to break the quarter-long stigma and keep the game close, 98-94. The Jazz would play the foul game from there as Papatrichas would net both charities to make it 100-94. In the ensuing play, it would be Luigi Scava that would make the 3 to further cut the Sharks lead to just three, 100-97. But Papatrichas would again make both his freebies to push their lead to five, 102-97 with about 20 seconds left as the Jazz calls another timeout.

Their play off the timeout would see Hector Casas connect on another three 102-100, and the fouled Proffitt afterwards. But Proffitt could only split from the line, 103-100 as the American swingman missed his second attempt. In the battle for the rebound, the Jazz's Gilbert Allen could not keep control of the ball as it slipped out of bounds.

Another Papatrichas split and the Sharks are up by four, 104-100. Scava would again connect from downtown to further threaten the Sharks, 104-103. Papatrichas was fouled yet again but can only muster a split from the line, setting up an opportunity for the Jazz to tie or win the game with just two ticks remaining.

The inbound pass found its way to Egozi, who was open from the corner and launched the potential game-winner that just missed the mark as the final buzzer sounded.

"I have no words to describe this game. This is playoff basketball." said Sharks team manager Ceruver. "I've mentioned before that we always play this team tight and close. But this is something else."

"You have to give them props for fighting back. There's a reason they are the top team in the conference." said Papatrichas, who ended up with 39 points shooting 50% beyond the arc, further typifying his claim as League top scorer. He was backed up by Proffitt's 23 points, six boards and four assists.

"They're our rivals for a reason." said AD Cas, who ended up with 15 points of his own. "Not even a huge lead like what we had in the first half could lower their morale. They've got tough players, man."

With the win, the Sharks move on to face Golden Titi, who handily defeated markandmay, 113-98, in the Big 8 Conference Final.

Sharks bow out of title round anew

League III.10 Finals
SN Forum

Despite a gallant effort, the San Nicolas Sharks are unable even the series and drop their title challenge to dakdakers, 118-107, at the SN Forum. dakdakers would go on to win the series in a 2-0 sweep and would be returning to Division II action.

It was looking like a repeat of the Game 1 shellacking from the opening quarter, with the Sharks being down double digits, 34-23. A more respectable showing in the second quarter, as Markos Papatrichas and Thomas Proffitt came to life, trimmed the lead by just a point, 61-51.

But the 3rd quarter saw the Sharks clamp down on their visitors, limiting dakdakers to just 17 points while going on a binge of their own to tie the game at the end of three, 78-all.

The stage was set for a cardiac finish, but the Sharks were unable to keep in step with their counterparts as they slowly pulled away mostly thru the efforts of Tomás Troya Lopez-Sor.

The Sharks were led by Papatrichas' 29 points, but shot poorly from the field with just 40% total and 36% from long distance. A monster performance was finally received from Aldvydas Saulytis, who had 25 points, 29 rebounds and seven assists, though he also turned the ball over six times.

The new champions were led by Lopez-Sor's 40 markers on 58% shooting, followed by their newly-acquired guard Fong Li Xue with 35 points on 62.5% shooting.

"We only played two quarters today, it was very hard to keep in step with them for all four quarters and expect the same results." admitted team manager Ceruver. "It looked like the boys gave it their all in that 3rd period and lost all of their steam. Very disappointing." he further added.

"We had a chance to tie the series by three quarters, but we can't keep the momentum going til the end." said a disgruntled Papatrichas. "Aldvydas as a monster game for us and we can't capitalize on it. Not to mention that I shot badly tonight." he said further.

After a tumultuous start to the season, the Sharks were able to forge a decent run in the 2nd half of the elimination round after the mid-season acquisition of Thomas Proffitt and Marcus Eckart-Höbling. They would end the regular season with a 12-10 record which was good for the #4 seed in the Big 8 Conference.

Just as the elimination round was wrapping up, the Sharks took a splash in the transfer market and acquired Saulytis to bolster their frontline. Buoyed by their reinforced roster the Sharks would again run through the Big 8 playoffs despite being the lower seed and not having home court advantage, barging and clawing their way to the title round for the 2nd straight season. But the Sharks are yet to win a Finals game as a franchise in those two attempts.

"There might have not been much expectations with our squad given our record all season. But we knew we had the capacity to do big things and had expectations of our own that we did not live up to. For that, we need to be accountable to ourselves and to the fanbase." said Eckart-Höbling.

With the loss, the Sharks find themselves in another season competing in League III.10, where roster and team shakeups are already taking place as multiple teams have offloaded key players and franchises have been relegated and promoted to the league.

From Rebuild to Retool

San Nicolas Sharks HQ
23:51

At the start of last season, it would be understandable to overlook the San Nicolas Sharks in the top echelon of playoff favourites in League III.10. It was even less likely to consider them to be a Championship-level team capable of contending for the title.

But there they were, after all the dust has cleared, competing against dakdakers in the Best-of-Three Finals series for all the marbles.

What was supposed to be a rebuilding year, refocusing their investments in infrastructure and getting them out of the red, turned out to be another run to the Finals in an unlikely fashion.

"We were surprised ourselves, to be honest." said team manager Ceruver. "We were not expecting much last season. It was supposed to be a building block for a future squad that we hoped can contend."

"But for the team to go all the way back to the Finals was unbelievable, it seemed to come together all at the right time." the Sharks' gaffer added.

Languishing at the middle of the pack for the majority of the regular season, the turnaround started to pick up for the Cavite-based squad with the acquisition of Marcus Eckart-Höbling and Thomas Proffitt in the latter part of the elimination round. This enabled the squad to have a little more balance in their system, removing some of the defensive responsibilities from Markos Papatrichas and AD Cas at the time.

"Meck" as he is fondly called, provided much needed muscle underneath with the departure of blue-chip frontcourt recruits from seasons past such as Ahmet Dorukan and Koki Dzotsenidze. And Tom provided another solid perimeter defender with a decent enough touch from long range.

"Meck and Tom was a true blessing when they were added to the team. It enabled us to be a little more competitive as the season was about to wrap up." said Papatrichas. "We needed all the help we can get and it was crucial that they arrived on time to provided that to us." he further added.

The Sharks would eventually clinch the last playoff spot with a few games remaining. But as the regular season was about to end, the Sharks make their biggest splash in by acquiring the services of then 26-year old Aldvydas Saulytis from Lithuania. A 6'9" beanpole that proved to be a difference-maker in the playoffs.

"He (Aldvydas) definitely played a huge role in our deep run last season." said Ceruver. "It took him a few games to really get in to the thick of things but when he did, he was virtually unstoppable". The Sharks manager heaped praises for his new top bigman, hoping to keep him long-term. "He's very young. We lucked out getting him off the market at this stage of his career. We found ourselves a very good foundation piece" he said.

A few more offseason moves saw the squad beef up their frontline even more, with the acquisition of Russian bigman Arkady Chernogryazskiy. They also acquired Juan Rodríguez to pair up with Papatrichas at the backcourt. This was supposed to be all that they would do in the offseason. But when the draft came along, the Sharks did not expect top prospect Chester Fabella falling on their lap in the second round.

"He is a talent that's too good to pass up. I have no idea why it took that long before he was picked" said Ceruver. "So we went ahead and drafted him. He's probably the best prospect in the draft and we want to figure him in our long-term plans for the team's future."

With a 5-1 record so far this season, the Sharks are already faring better than their previous campaign. But as proven last season, there is a long way to go and more challenges to face. But the Sharks seems to be a bit more equipped to take on what lies ahead. With a relatively-deeper roster, they hope to replicate their deep postseason run as well as probably do more damage in the National Tournament and BBM assignments this season.

Sharks upend DiAblo Master in Battle of League's best

DiAblo Force Arena
03:29

In a much-anticipated showdown between the top teams of each conference, Big 8 top-seed San Nicolas Sharks topple the Great 8 and league-leading DiAblo Master on their home floor, 102-96, to hand them their first loss of the regular season in League III.10.

It took a while for the Cavite-based franchise to get their bearings underneath them as they lost the first quarter handily, 31-20. But once they regained their mojo, the momentum started to shift in the Sharks' favor.

The DiAblo Master lead went to as high as 14 points in the 3rd quarter when the Sharks' surge began. Buoyed by Markos Papatrichas as well as the brilliant play by 19-year old CM Fabella, the Sharks would take the lead with almost four and a half minutes of play left in the third, 62-61. But the hosts would not go down lightly though as they were able to salvage the lead entering the final canto, 72-68.

But the momentum shift had just grown leaps and bounds for San Nicolas. Fabella's steady play spilled over while Papatrichas finally exploded with 13 points in the quarter, allowing their squad to widen the gap nearing the end of the ballgame, 94-84, with about 49 ticks remaining.

But the hosts refused to give up that easily with Helmut Heitzmann nailing a three-point shot in the ensuing play to cut the deficit to 94-87. DiAblo Master would play the foul game from there, first taking Papatrichas to the line, where he split his charities to make it 95-87, this was followed by a Martin Winböhla three that made it 95-90 with over 30 seconds to go.

On the next play, top bigman Aldvydas Saulytis was fouled and made both his freebies to make it 97-90. Another Winböhla three crept them even closer at 97-93. Next up to be fouled was Tom Proffitt who also made both of his shots from the stripe and made it 99-93 and this time, it was Heitzmann that connected with a three-pointer in the next play, 99-96 in the Sharks' favor.

This proved to be the last hurrah for the hosts as Juan Rodríguez iced the game, nailing three of the last four free throw shots to seal the game and the final score.

Papatrichas scored 26 points on 50% shooting from the field. The rookie all-star Fabella played arguably the best game of his young career thus far with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Saulytis himself had a monster game with a near 20-20 performance of 24 points and 19 boards while Proffitt may not have had a good shooting night, but more than made up for it with a near triple-double performance of 15 points, 11 boards and nine assists.

"This was reminiscent of the Conference Final last season against Gilas Jazz" said team manager Ceruver. "We were able to build a decent lead and they tried to trim it all away via the foul game and the three point shot. When faced with that adversity, you just have to stay connected with each other defensively and make your freebies as much as you can." he said in the post-game presser.

"We had to take this game from them." said Papatrichas after the game. "They were at home and seemed invincible with their clean record. We needed to play our absolute best to take this win from them."

The win puts the Sharks even with DiAblo Master with a 13-1 record, with DiAblo Master still owning the tiebreak in points differential. This shall be their only meeting in the regular season as the possible next opportunity for these two conference behemoths colliding is in the League Finals.

Last edited by Ceruver at 3/5/2022 3:45:58 PM

Official Statement on the departure of Gilas Jazz from BB

SN Headquarters
14:40

It is with great surprise and deep sadness to have been notified that our longtime rival franchise Gilas Jazz has folded as of yesterday afternoon.

Since we started our franchise back in Season 51 nearly two years ago, our two teams have been involved in multiple games that tested both our competitive fervor and tactical expertise. These games helped raise the profile of the Big 8 Conference, and ultimately, the entire Pilipinas League III.10 with the display of excellence on the court as well as the storyline and drama that each game wove with each baskteball play.

I last spoke with the franchise owner of Gilas Jazz immediately after our knockout Conference Semifinal game last season, where I congratulated him on another epic clash between the two storied franchises. We always had close games and while it did not help personally to root for our team having to deal with those cardiac moments in the endgame, from a neutral sporting perspective, I can appreciate that these games are what makes BuzzerBeater a viable entertainment product.

We are deeply saddened that these games will no longer come by as our rival franchise have decided to fold. This decision is theirs and we cannot do anything more other than respect it. Having folded a franchise before myself, it is hard to maintain a decent standing in a highly-competitive environment. While we respect their decision, we will miss the exciting matches that our team and theirs have shared over the last few seasons.

Congratulations to their manager, ipman, and to the rest of their team, from the players to their staff, for being a class franchise and a symbol of excellence over the last few seasons. May our paths cross again, albeit different circumstances this time, but just the same competitive fervor that has ignited both of our teams in games past.

- Ceruver

Rage Starts Hot, Finishes Cold as They Lose to Paraiso Fighters

Biñan City Rage raced to an early lead but failed to complete the upset as they lost to still unbeaten Paraiso Fighters, 74-86 Tuesday night at the Paraiso Arena.

The Rage, powered by 11pts from Superstar Rookie Boyet Tayao, jumped to a 24-14 lead after one quarter.

The Rage continued showing they were well prepared for the 1vs1 match-up by holding off the Fighters again in the second quarter, outscoring them 22-19 for a 46-33 halftime lead.

The Fighters were on a 14-game winning streak entering the matchup, while the Rage split their last two games for a 13-1 record. They showed they were the league’s top team as they took the third quarter 28-15, and then the fourth, 25-13.

Joel Juutinen led the Fighters with 23 points, while Kent Lumen grabbed 23 rebounds on top of his 8 points.

“The boys showed their inexperience by losing steam in the 2nd half,” Rage Coach Macoy Bolivia said. Bolivia, finally returning to the sidelines 2 seasons ago after leading the Lower Bicutan Egoyz in Seasons 7 to 12, also said they were not ready for the Fighters’ physicality as they lost the battle of the boards, 49-62.

“The team is still in the process of learning things,” Coach Bolivia added. The Rage have one of the younger teams in the league with an average age of 21 years.

Tayao finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals in an all-around effort. SG Florencio Dullavin had 19 points but only shot 8 of 25. He also fouled out before the end of the game. C Monchet Chan a 15-point 15-rebound double-double, but he also accounted for 4 of the team’s 14 turnovers.

Coupled with the Squidballers’ 119-103 win over the Nightshadow, the Rage dropped to a tie with them with identical 13 wins and 2 losses. Nightshadow, the team to deal the Rage their first loss of the season last week, also dropped to 13-2.

Sharks pull away late to beat Golden Titi

Teething Pain Arena
2:28

The San Nicolas Sharks had to rely on a furious fourth quarter assault to wrest the game away from Big 8 rivals Golden Titi, 100-89, on their own Teething Pain Arena to further cement their stranglehold of the top seed in the conference.

Powered early on by Yoel Marí's 8 points in the period, the hosts were able to keep the game close after one, 21-20. In the second quarter, it was Rijad Kovačević the started percolating, scoring 12 points in the quarter enabling Golden Titi to lake the lead at halftime, 47-45.

The two skippers for the hosts kept their momentum going even as play resumed in the 3rd canto, extending their lead to as high as 10 points, 64-54 when Markos Papatrichas led a quick 9-4 run to keep his team within short distance after three, 68-63.

Papatrichas would go off for 11 of the Sharks' 37 points in the payoff period while their counterparts can only maintain their regular production throughout the game. Their defense would hold strong as well in the most opportune time, allowing zero points for over four minutes of game time while scoring 14 of their own in the same time span. This allowed the visiting Sharks to go from being down 74-65 to being up 79-74, taking the game for good from that point on.

Papatrichas would end up with game-high 29 points along with five boards, five assists, two blocked shots and a steal. His one-two punch partner Aldvydas Saulytis would be a steady presence all-game long with 26 markers, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Rookie CM Fabella had another decent showing himself with a double-double of 12 points and 14 boards.

Despite their famed backcourt duo combining for 50 points, Golden Titi could not find a consistent third scoring option to seal the deal as the next double digit contributor was Aron Panlilio with 13.

"They were feeding off the energy from their crowd early on." said team manager Ceruver. "This is a tough house to play in and they showed that today. We had to muster an exceptional quarter to grab the win from their team. This is a good barometer for us as with the sudden folding of Gilas Jazz, we might see this team instead deep in the upcoming playoffs." he further added.

In what could most likely be the Conference Final protagonists for the Big 8, the San Nicolas Sharks have swept the regular season series as the two franchises gear up for their final stretch of games in the elimination round. The win puts the Sharks at 15-1 for the season, further distancing themselves from the rest of the pack. They will face the successors to the Gilas Jazz franchise, the Windy City Pirates on the 15 of March.