The 13th season of the oldest running alumni basketball league in the city ended Sunday with another championship to its most experienced and winningest batch as Pier One outplayed the young upstarts of Samsung, 55-47, to win the 2008 SHABA title.  Powered by the core group of Batch ’90, who have now won 7 SHABA titles, Pier One bullied Samsung inside while Dennis Que was a menace on defense and a one-man scoring machine.  Que exploded for 29 points while registering 7 steals, including a crucial one in the last 2 minutes and scoring his team’s last 7 points.  Pier One led for most of the game as multiple SHABA MVP winners Theogene Lim and Chad Canares backed up Que on offense.  Both teams struggled on offense early on but Pier One’s defense kept Samsung’s high-octane offense at bay. But Samsung staged a furious 4th quarter rally behind Antonio Datan, Kester Gajudo and Jovenson Cimafranca to trim the lead to 1, 48-47,with less than 2 minutes to go.  With ball possession to Samsung and a chance to grab the lead, Que made his 7th steal and scored to give Pier One a 3-point lead.  After Samsung failed to score, Que then nailed a big 3-pointer to seal the game for Pier One. Que’s 29 points led all scorers while Theogene Lim added 10 and Canares 8.  Three-time MVP Dave Lim was held to just 3 points.  Gajudo led Samsung with 13 points with Cimafranca adding 12.  Sharpshooter Eldie Cabahug finished with 7 points and failed to make a 3-pointer in the Finals.

BOX SCORES:
Pier One (55) – Que 29, T. Lim 10, Canares 8, D. Lim 3, Tan 3, Ting 2.
Samsung (47) – Gajudo 13, Cimafranca 12, Datan 9, Cabahug 7, Lao 3, Tuano 3.
 Qtr. Scores: 18-15, 30-25, 44-38, 55-47.

 Press Release courtesy of Mr. Richard Ho