By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The off-season buzz has finally come to an end as the 10 teams in the JB Amateur Basketball League Elite Division II are set to see action and flaunt their recent acquisitions.
The JB ABL opening game featured two of the powerhouse squads, team CTG and Systemic Farms.
The legendary trio of Ronald Tubid, Rhagnee Sinco, and Jay Javelosa proved to be too much for the veteran squad CTG soon as the whistle was blown.
Systemic Farm executed their sets efficiently, picking apart the CTG defense after forcing them into numerous defensive breakdowns.
Javelosa imposed his dominance underneath forcing CTG to run numerous double teams at him but the MPBL cager still found a way to convert despite the tremendous defense.
However, the CTG squad had other plans as the second half as they mounted a comeback with Pusoy Arenal and Adrian Dellaban carrying the offensive load.
It was a shooting clinic for Arenal as he and Tubid traded shots from downtown that dazzled the Jaro Gym.
The game went as far as overtime but team Systemic was slain by the CTG vets after Dellaban sank a game-winning perimeter shot, spoiling Tubid, Sinco, and Javelosa’s JB ABL debut.
Meanwhile, team Pepsi lived up to the expectations after clinching their opener against rival team Malditos, 86-79.
Team Malditos was off to a hot-start and grabbed the early lead against Pepsi after Gerry Abadiano connected early on.
However, in the fourth, Jim Sencil put on a show after torching Maditos with his efficient perimeter scoring and deadly three-point shooting that helped seal the victory.
In the last game, OJNA squad eked out a win against team ODM Sportswear, 89-80.
John Samones shocked the whole JB ABL crowd as he man-handled team ODM from start to finish, chalking up 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Johnrey Serra’s debut with OJNA also proved to be one of the most positive acquisitions as his hustle and over-all impact helped OJNA pull-away to grab the victory.
