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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.

Sharks lose key bigman Saulytis in win over Sta. Ana Champ

League III.10 Elimination Round
SN Forum
00:12

The San Nicolas Sharks notch their 18th win for the season with their 100-49 annihilation of Sta. Ana Champ at the SN Forum. But the victory came with a hefty cost as they will not have the services of starting bigman Aldvydas Saulytis possibly for the remainder of the season with a broken nose that he suffered in the opening quarter.

The 27-year old beanpole from Lithuania suffered the injury while scoring on an and-one dunk with just over two minutes having passed in the first quarter. He was immediately attended to by League and team doctors before being diagnosed with the injury and having to leave the game.

While the Sharks have won the game comfortably, with five double-digit scorers, led by Tom Proffitt's 23 and Markos' 19 markers, as well as eight players scoring at least six points, the atmosphere changed considerably as the hometown crowd mulled over the possibility of their resident center being sidelined.

"The injury will set him back for at least two weeks as per doctor's estimates." said team manger Ceruver. This would mean that the 6'9" tower may miss their playoff game against this same squad. "We are optimistic that he can come back for the rest of our games this season, but for now, we wish him a speedy recovery as that is just as annoying as it is painful of an injury." he further added.

"This is definitely not the thing we want to deal with entering the postseason." said Markos Papatrichas. "We want to keep the team as healthy as possible for we will need the contribution of everybody come playoff time." he said in the postgame presser.

The game was a possible preview of the Big 8 Conference playoff between the #1 and #4 seed, and with Saulytis's injury putting his appearance in the game in doubt, this could prove to be crucial in tilting the odds of the playoff tie between the two sides.

At this stage, the San Nicolas Sharks can seal their third Big 8 Conference #1 seed in four seasons with a win against their next League opponent, CVHRA Warriors on Saturday, 26th of March. From there, two more League gamedays are pending before the knockout rounds begin.

Sharks lose another starter in win over markandmay

League III.10 Elimination Round
SN Forum
06:34

Just a week after losing their star bigman Aldvydas Saulytis to a broken nose, the San Nicolas Sharks will also be without their starting skipper Markos Papatrichas entering their final League assignment as well and possibly their opening playoff game in the Conference Semifinal.

This major development made the victory against markandmay to the tune of a 117-37 beatdown seem secondary as the Sharks improve their record to 20-1 for the season. The Greek guard for the Sharks suffered the injury at the 10:23 mark of the second quarter after a shooting foul by markandmay's Felicito Daduya. In a sad twist of fate however, Daduya himself would be injured later on in the same quarter off of a flagrant foul by Marc Cerezo. Papatrichas had six points, a rebound and two steals prior to the injury.

"I got hit while going up to take a jumpshot and landed awkwardly. Afterwards, I felt my back start to tighten and I could not move properly." said Papatrichas in the postgame presser. "I just got word that this may take a week to heal as it was most likely a torqued muscle that needs to be rehabbed." he further added.

"This is just a gut punch to our team just as the bigger matches are approaching." said team manager Ceruver. "It just goes to show that no matter how careful you are pacing these guys throughout the season, it's not going to matter because injuries are a chance happenstance and can occur regardless of how prepared you are."

Their other injured star Saulytis is well on his way to recovery and is expected to be back next week, but based on the timetable estimated for both Sharks stalwarts, they may most likely not be able to participate in the opening playoff game in about a week's time.

"We would like to have everyone available for the remaining games but that is beyond our control already. We just have to grind out these games and hope that we can buy those two time to return and help us in the long run." said veteran swingman Tom Proffitt, who had 10 points, 10 boards and five dimes in the dominant win. "They are crucial to our success all season and it sucks to see them sidelined at this point of the season, but we have to battle for them and give them a chance to come back."

The Cavite quintet will face ho as their last assignment of the regular season before taking on Sta. Ana Champ in their knockout conference semifinal matchup next week.

Sharks drop title challenge in heartbreaking loss to DiAblo Master

League III.10 Finals
SN Forum
23:16

The San Nicolas Sharks have bowed down in another instant classic Saturday night as they lose Game 2 of the League III.10 Finals to newly-crowned champions DiAblo Master, 102-97.

In front of their hometown crowd Saturday night, the Sharks looked to erase the memory of their Game 1 loss on the road, where they dropped the match in an epic showdown, 114-107 in overtime. But the visitors took the upper hand early with their outside gunners Martin Winböhla and Dinos Mpaloukos and Pat Paul connecting with their perimeter shots, but a balanced attack for the most part from the Bacoor-based franchise kept the game close with just a one-point lead for the visitors, 21-20.

The same triumvirate would continue their hot shooting in the second quarter, while the Sharks can only get consistent point production from Markos Papatrichas. This led to DiAblo Master extending their lead to double digits multiple times in the quarter before settling with a nine point edge at haftime, 49-40.

The Sharks would come to life in the third canto, with bigmen Eberhardt Chandra and rookie CM Fabella helping sharing the scoring duties en route while being able to hold their opponents defensively allowing them to take the lead entering the final quarter, 72-69.

The final quarter saw the two sides exchange leads in a thrilling reprisal of their Game 1 encounter, but as the game went down to the final two minutes, the Sharks were holding a precarious one-point lead, 92-91. Unfortunately for the Cavite quintet, the tandem of Winböhla and Mpaloukos could not be contained as they initiated an 8-2 run that sealed the game for good. The Sharks tried to expand the time remaining by playing the foul game but Papatrichas could not find the bottom of the net despite multiple tries from beyond the arc.

The eventual champions were led by their three perimeter players, combining for 83 points, with an exemplary 47% from three-point distance. They were the only double-digit scorers for the visitors, with newly-minted MVP Kenan Okaygün only scoring eight points in the victory. San Nicolas was led by Papatrichas' 24 points on barely 30% shooting from the field followed by Chandra's 19 and Fabella's 15. Saulytis was severely limited compared to his 30-point performance in Game 1, scoring just 13 in the losing effort.

"This one will sting for a while." said team manager Ceruver. "Despite out struggles from the field, we were there. We came back, mounted the challenge and took the lead late. But again, we're unable to seal the deal when it mattered most just like in Game 1." he further added.

"To be that close to a tiebreaker and lose that chance is frustrating." said bigman Aldvydas Saulytis. "I feel personally responsible for not doing much more than I should have at a game like this."

The loss meant another 0-2 sweep for the Sharks in the Finals, rendering them winless in six Finals games over three-straight appearances since Season 54. They will remain in League III.10 with a wholly-revamped conference given the arrival of new teams replacing recenty-bot franchises that would prove to be a new challenge for the Cavite-based franchise.