Lexmark Stallions Beat Stream Blue Devils, Forged Sudden Death Finals

The winner-take-all CCSC Powerade E-League for Basketball Finals Game 3 between the Lexmark Stallions and Stream Blue Devils is set for this Saturday, November 26 at 2:30 PM. One final game will decide who will bring home the championship trophy as the Stallions forged a sudden death match by tripping the Stream Blue Devils, 55-45, last Sunday in Game 2 of the best-of-three Finals of the tourney. The game will be played at Cebu City Sports Club, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City.

Stream took Game 1, 63-54, and needed just one game to seal the championship crown.

But the Blue Devils failed a repeat of their awesome offense in Game 1 while the Stallions displayed a tremendous fighting spirit and tight defense.

In the game Sunday afternoon, Mervin Balansag scored 13 points, the only player to tally double digit, but he had four teammates chipping in at least six markers.

Stream only scored 20 points in the first half, allowing the Stallions to bring a 29-20 lead into the third quarter.

Stream produced 16 points in the third to catch-up in the third canto but again faltered in the fourth, where it scored just nine points while allowing Lexmark to score 11.

Sylvester Millevo once again led Stream with 17 points.

These has been an exciting season since the League opened in 2005, with the semis and final rounds pushed to the distance. The team that is hungrier to win will definitely take home the championship trophy.

Tara! Laag ta! Witness the exciting game of amateur basketball in Cebu City.

How to Choose a Bicycle

How to choose a bike

I learned to ride a bike when I was in my first grade. I used to sneak out during siesta and ride around the neighborhood under the sun. Bicycling then was all about fun and when we get older, bicycling becomes an exercise. Nowadays, it has become a lifestyle or an escape from a stressful week-long work. Besides from the above mentioned, it can also be a great way to run errands, commute to work or experience a back-country trail, not to mention more serious pursuits such as touring or racing. Whatever our goals, there are a number of bicycle options that will take us there.

Ride with me in this article as we head into the road to selecting the right bikes, may you be a beginner, a casual rider or  one who haven't ridden in a while.

Devils, Wolves beat foes to advance in the Powerade E-league semis

Top seeds of the 2011 CSCC Powerade e-League, Stream Global Blue Devils and Convergys Wolves won their quarterfinal assignments unscathed to move to the semifinal round of the basketball tournament at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym last Saturday, October 29, 2011.

The Blue Devils skewered the Sharks, 84-54; while the pack of Wolves drove the Reds out, 66-51.


Stream will have their chance at the finals slot against defending champions Teletech Titans, while the Wolves will try to make it back for the third time in the championship series against No.3 finisher Lexmark Stallions.
The best-of-three semifinal series will start on Nov. 12.

Sylvester Millevo and Dino Flores led Stream Global to victory as they scored 17 points apiece, Norbert Ampong added 14 and Louie Cesar Arroyo made 12. Randy Bihag was the lone Sharks player to score in double figures with 15. Joshua Ryan Yam led Convergys with 14 points, while Emmanuel Auman had 12. Floyd Singco and Joel Nebria led e-Performax with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Related articles

• Lexmark, Teletech Advanced to Semis in the 2011 CSCC E-League (ka-laagan.blogspot.com)
• Convergys Shares Popped: What You Need to Know (fool.com)
• Convergys Call Centers at Home (realwaystoearnmoneyonline.com)

Lexmark, Teletech Advanced to Semis in the 2011 CSCC E-League

CSCC 2011 Powerade E-League

DEFENDING champions Teletech Titans and the Lexmark Stallions win against  lower-ranked foes in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Powerade E-League for Basketball at the City Sports Club-Cebu Gym.
Last Sunday, October 23, the fourth-seed Titans withstood the relentless attacks of the Aegis People Support Vipers, 100-95, while the third-ranked Stallions stomped the Calltek Trojans, 69-57.
Teletech and Lexmark hold twice-to-beat advantages going into the quarterfinals for finishing in the top after the eliminations. The two teams made sure that there will be no second chances by winning their first games to advance to the semis against still to be determined foes.
I was there to witness the physical battle between last season's final match-up, Teletech Titans and Aegis People Support Vipers. The game was like a championship one -- bodies flying, the shoving, and trash-talking and not to miss out the loud cheers and jeers from fans of each side. The titans edged the Vipers with their balanced attack with Lourenz Limpangog leading the ex-champs with  22 points, Sherwin Resilla firing 18 points, Ad Roel Laboga submitting 15 and Sherwin Anghay and Shem Japheth Banua adding 10 each for Teletech, which recovered from a 15-21 first quarter deficit with a 25-16 run in the second period.
Clifford Amarado exploded for 30 points but still failed to save the fifth-seed Vipers from elimination. Ryan Veloso added 17, while Mariel Vincent Barrera and John Louie Arriesgado had 11 and 10, respectively.
Franco Angelo Cipriano, meanwhile, was the lone Lexmark player to score in double figures with 13 but had 10 teammates scoring at least two points. Lexmark had the impressive half-court press that lead to the Trojans' turnovers and most importantly limited their star-player, Christian Judilla, from taking the command.
Mark Louise Gellez scored 17, Jan Pierre Gellez finished with 16 and Aerl Genebraldo added for the Trojans, whose impressive run this year ended with the 12-point loss.
Despite the loss, the Trojans still found reason to be proud after finishing the season with a 10-5 (win-loss) record after tallying just three wins last season.
The quarterfinal battles will continue on Saturday with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds Stream Blue Devils and Convergys Wolves playing the Accenture Sharks and the Eperformax Reds, respectively.
Prediction:
Most probable match-up on the next round would be Stream vs Teletech and Convergys vs Lexmark.
See you all in the Semi-final round!

Related articles

• Lexmark acquires Pallas Athena (prnewswire.com)
• Lexmark shares fall more than 5% as earnings slip (marketwatch.com)
• TeleTech issues notice it will lay off 240 people (kitsapsun.com)

Energen Pilipinas U16 Undefeated for Two Rounds in the FIBA Asia U16 Championship 2011

Jay Alejandro exploded for 36 points as the Energen Pilipinas U16 team defeated Japan, 83-72, to remain undefeated in the first two rounds of the FIBA Asia U16 Championship at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center.

Energen Pilipinas vs Japan
Image via http://www.fibaasia.net 

The win nailed Philippines on top of the Group F and set them up a quarterfinal match against Iraq on Wednesday. Japan will take on Lebanon in their quarterfinal with the possibility of meeting China in the semifinals.

Alejandro, a Mapua high standout, fired 19 points in the first half as the Filipino cagers separated themselves from the Japanese after a tight start. The Filipinos lead at end of the firs half 48-36.

With exchanges continuing to remain equal after the Philippines outburst, Japan never recovered from that Alejandro blitz.

The young Filipino cagers, who gave Japan’s first loss in five games, wrapped up their second-round run in Group F with a perfect 5-0 record.

It was the biggest challenge yet for the young Nationals, who rolled past their first four opponents by a whopping average of 71.5 points.

On the other group, defending champion China claimed the No. 1 slot with a 5-0 record following a 73-42 rout of Korea (4-1) Monday afternoon in a rematch of the 2009 edition’s finals.

“I had the confidence in the boys because our bench runs deeper. I knew our rotations can be long, therefore I wasn’t worried about the pace,” said Philippines coach Olsen Racela.

“We had to step up the gas sometime. It was just a matter of looking for one of their (Japan) substitutions and rolling out our plan,” Racela added.

“Each player has a role to play here, but Alejandro is our leader,” the coach said.

Beckham to play against Azkals in Manila

"LA Galaxy and Azkals, dec 4 rizal stadium," Bright  tweeted.

Caligdong vs Beckham

British football superstar David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy will visit Manila for a friendly match against the Philippine Azkals on December 4.


The visit to Manila and other Southeast Asian countries in December is part of the LA Galaxy's promotional tour, a report said.


Beckham, one of the world's highest-paid footballers, helped the Manchester United win the Premier League title six times, the Football Association Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.


He also played for Preston North End, Real Madrid and A.C. Milan before signing up with the LA Galaxy in 2007.


This is once in a lifetime event and surely this is going to be a jam-packed Rizal Stadium.


Watch out for future details. Tara! Laag ta on December 3 or 4!

Important :

1) Match date is still tentative: either December 3 or 4.
2) Tom Payne, LA Galaxy president of operations, will be flying to the Philippines within the week to conduct inspections at the Rizal Memorial Stadium and check if it is fit to hold the match at the said venue.
3) Other considerations are still being looked into, i.e. sponsors, etc.
We are all excited and giddy on this news, but again, please do not make plans yet (i.e. booking flights to Manila if you’re from the provinces) and wait for further announcements.
Please be guided accordingly. And, pray everything pushes through.

PBA: 2011-12 Philippine Cup Games Today, October 12, 2011

SHOPINAS.COM CLICKERS BATTLES MERALCO BOLTS

The Clickers hope to pounce on the Bolts’ power shortage on Wednesday, October 12, 5:30 pm in SMART ARANETA COLISEUM. 

Bolts were left with role players for the game, with their main players sidelined for injury Cardona, Mercado, Reynel Hugnatan and Chris Ross, against a bunch of young but undoubtedly talented Clickers crews.

Alaska Aces will Test Cone's  B-MEG Llamados

Alaska Aces will play against B-Meg Llamados on Wednesday, October 12, 2012, 7:30 pm in  SMART ARANETA COLISEUM. 

But this time Tim Cone occupies his seat away from the Alaska Milk Aces.  They will now  be on opposite ends of the floor, trying to beat one another.

Both teams are hungry for their first win. It's the battle between the successor and the predecessor.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas vs Jordan, FIBA Asia Championship Semi-Finals

The Philippines' Smart Gilas is battling against Jordan in the semi-final round of the 2011 FIBA Asia basketball championship in Wuhan, China on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Gilas with a good start so far in this tournament leads in the 1st quarter, 18-12. The ball is too slippery for the Jordanians that they committed 6 turnovers against 2 from the Philippines.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas vs Chinese Taipei, FIBA Asia Championship Quarter-Finals Result

Smart Gilas Pilipinas Logo
via Wikipedia

The Philippines' Smart Gilas is battling against Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals round of the 2011 FIBA Asia basketball championship in Wuhan, China on Friday, September 23, 2011. Chinese Taipei took a 23-19 lead over Philippines in the 1st quarter. 


Chinese Taipei keeps on stretching their lead on 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter until Coach Toroman called a time out. Whatever spell the coach casted on his players, it works. It took 9 consecutive points from Gilas to tie the game 40-40. End of 1st half Philippines leads Chinese Taipei 45-42. 


Philippines started strong on the opening of the final half. Gilas stretched their lead farther on a 10-0 run which is sparked by a 3 pointer from Ranidel de Ocampo at 7:59 in the clock. Taipei trailing at end of 3rd quarter 70-57.


Better defense keeps Gilas away from persistent Taiwans. In the closing minutes of the game, Chinese Taipei gets close by 7 points. But time is ticking faster for them and Filipinos keeps on drilling their free throws. 


Smart Gilas Pilipinas wins over Chinese Taipei 95-78.


Philippines will advance to the semi-finals against Jordan on Saturday.


Preview

Fiba Asia Championship Quarter-Finals Update: Jordan Upsets defending Champ Iran

Jordan upsets Defending Champion Iran


Jordan have created the upset of the FIBA Asia Championship, defeating Iran 88-84 to knock out the two-time defending champions.


Jordan was lead by Daghles with an all-around performance with 23 points, five assists, four boards and three steals in 37 minutes.


Side casts of the upset were Zaid Alkhas (14 points, 4/7 three-pointers), Rasheim Wright and Wesam Al-Sous 12 points apiece, and Zaid Abbas (10 points, 7 rebounds).


Hamed Hadadi was outstanding for Iran with 27 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and while Mahdi Kamrany (14 points), Arsalen Kazemi (13 points, 16 rebounds) and Hamed Afagh (12 points) all played well, Iran's effort simply didn’t eclipse the coordinated execution of Jordan over the 40 minutes.

Korea calmed Speedy Japan


Korea jumpstarted the 1st quarter against Japan by drilling five 3-point shots and never looked back. By end of the quarter, Korea has tallied 23 points against Japan's 11. In addition, their stingy defense turned Japan's ball over on the early minutes.


Five Koreans tallied double-digits on their onslaught over Japan. Moon (17 pts, 5/9 3-pt FG), Oh (15),Ha (14pts,8 rbs), Cho (13),and Kim (11); while, Japan only led by Kosuke Takeuchi with his double-double performance of 16 points and 13 rebounds and offensive supports from Matsui's 3/5 3pt FG and Amino's 10 points.


Korea beats Japan 86-67.


Philippines beats Chinese Taipei

The Philippines' Smart Gilas is battling against Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals round of the 2011 FIBA Asia basketball championship in Wuhan, China on Friday, September 23, 2011. Chinese Taipei took a 23-19 lead over Philippines in the 1st quarter. 

Chinese Taipei keeps on stretching their lead on 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter until Coach Toroman called a time out. Whatever spell the coach casted on his players, it works. It took 9 consecutive points from Gilas to tie the game 40-40. End of 1st half Philippines leads Chinese Taipei 45-42. 

Philippines started strong on the opening of the final half. Gilas stretched their lead farther on a 10-0 run which is sparked by a 3 pointer from Ranidel de Ocampo at 7:59 in the clock. Taipei trailing at end of 3rd quarter 70-57.

Better defense keeps Gilas away from persistent Taiwans. In the closing minutes of the game, Chinese Taipei gets close by 7 points. But time is ticking faster for them and Filipinos keeps on drilling their free throws. 

Smart Gilas Pilipinas wins over Chinese Taipei 95-78.

Philippines will advance to the semi-finals against Jordan on Saturday.

China strangled Lebanon

  The Chinese were threatened by the Lebanese in the 1st half. They were beaten in the boards, Lebanese with 23 total rebounds (9 offensive rebounds) against their 18 rebounds with only 2 offensive rebounds. End of 1st half China only lead by 6 points, China 28 - 22 Lebanon.

At halftime, China head coach Bob Donewald regrouped his team and addressed their first half problem. 'We weren’t as quick to the ball as we needed to be, and we gave up more offensive rebounds than we normally would. We’ve just got to do a better job', said Donewald. By 2nd half, the Chinese strangled the Lebanon with their half-court defense and then ran away with a 68-48 victory.

Liu Wei (13 points, 6/7 shooting), Yi Jianlian (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Wang Zhizhi (12 points) led the Chinese, who played with the patience.

Sam Hoskin was a standout for Lebanon with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

China will play Korea for the semi-final round.

FIBA Asia Championship: Quarter-Finals Today!

Eight teams will battle it out today for the title of the best in Asia and a single slot for the London Olympics.

Iran and China,the only two undefeated teams,have not met any serious challengers so far in the tournament.Iran will play against a fellow WABA team Jordan, while China will be going against Lebanon.Even without playing at their best Iran and China have almost demolished each of their six rivals so far setting themselves as the leading favorites.

The other two playoff match-ups are Philippines- Chinese Taipei and Japan-Korea. Philippines and Japan, once been leaders of the Asian basketball have shown glimpse of regaining their legacy. Smart Gilas Pilipinas entering the quarter-final round with a sole defeat from China and Japan which posed a threat to China on their last match-up of the second round.

It's game time! It's Playoff time!

Smart Gilas Pilipinas vs Chinese Taipei, FIBA Asia Championship Quarter-Finals

Smart Gilas Pilipinas will play against Chinese Taipei tomorrow,Friday, September 23, 2011 @ 18: 00 Local Time (GMT +8) in the FIBA Asia Championship Quarter-Final Round.

Please see team-team information below for the preview of the coming match.

Philippines-Chinese Taipei Head-to-Head

Information by http://london2012.fiba.com

Prediction: Philippines will win +10 points over Chinese Taipei.

Smart Gilas vs Syria FIBA Asia Championship Result - September 21

The Philippines' Smart Gilas is playing against Syria in the second round of the 2011 FIBA Asia basketball championship in Wuhan, China on Wednesday, September 21, 2011. Philippines took the lead in the the 1st canto, 14-11.


Syria regrouped and focused their attack in the paint and dominated the boards. The Philippines trailed by five at the early minutes of the second quarter. The Syrians stretched  their lead by successfully hitting 3 triples. Philippines 23, Syria 32 at the break.

Philippines made a quick 4 points to start the 2nd half. Gilas  lead at 3:17 left on the 3rd qtr. Syrians' bombing from beyond the arc in the first half  were neutralized by the sticky defense of the Filipinos in the third canto. By end of the the quarter, Philippines leads Syria 49-45.

In the final quarter, Gilas made a  14-0 run to secure the game. The run ended on Gorges of Syria converted its offensive rebound to a layup. Early in the fourth quarter, De Ocampo slammed the ball for two coming from a missed 3-point shot from Alapag.

Philippines wins! Smart Gilas defeats Syria 75-52

Quarters: 14-11, 23-32,49-45

FIBA Asia Championship: Preview of Philippines-Syria Game

Game Preview: Syria vs. Philippines 
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 @ 18: 00 Local Time (GMT +8) | Group F, Wuhan

Prediction: Philippines will win by 15+ points over Syria

Game Information by http://london2012.fiba.com

Smart Gilas Pilipinas Beats Japan 83-76 in the 2nd Round Match of FIBA Asia Championship 2011

The Philippine Team triumphs with an 83-76 win over Japan in their second round match at the FIBA Asia Championship. Marcus Douthit lead the Smart Gilas Pilipinas with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Image via london2012.fiba.com

Gilas improved to a 3-1 record in Group F while giving the sharpshooting Japan its first loss.


Jimmy Alapag and Marcio Lassiter added 15 markers each while Kelly Williams scored 12. Japan, on the otherhand, was lead by Joji Takeuchi with 22 points and 8 rebounds.


The dangerous Japan's 3 point barrage, 12 made-shots out of 33 3-point attempts, fell short from the Gilas' domination in the paint and boards.


Gilas will play Syria tomorrow on their last match for the second round of the FIBA Asia Championship.
Scores:

Smart Hilas 83 - Douthit 25, Alapag 15, Lassiter 15, Williams 12, Barroca 6, de Ocampo 4, Casio 4, Taulava 2, Tiu 0, Lutz 0.

Japan 76 - J. Takeuchi 22, Shonaka 14, Hirose 13, Kawamura 12, K. Takeuchi 6, Ishizaki 5, Amino 4, Matsui 0, Takeda 0, Sakurao 0, Kashiwagi 0.

Quarterscores: 18-23, 34-40, 60-52, 83-76