A player from EGS is swarmed by Phelps Dodge’s defense during their AEBC 7th Corporate Cup game. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — EGS mounted a second-half comeback to clinch a hard-earned 65-61 victory against Phelps Dodge at the end of the elimination round of the Architects and Engineers Basketball Club (AEBC) 7th Corporate Cup on Saturday, May 18, at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main Campus gymnasium.
With the victory, EGS clinched the third seed of the quarterfinals that will start next weekend. They will take on the No. 6 Buildrite.
Leading EGS to their victory on Saturday was Peter Rabaya who scored a game-high 26 points with seven rebounds and one steal. Archie Araw-Araw tallied 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the winning squad.
READ: Davies Paints drub Sparko in AEBC 7th Corporate Cup
EGS was trailing by eight points in halftime, 22-30, and went on to continue to trail by six, 45-39, heading into the final canto.
Huge comeback
They came alive in the final period by outscoring Phelps Dodge by 10 points, 26-16, to successfully mount their huge comeback and grab the win.
READ: Nagel unloads 36 points as Buildrite beats Sparko in AEBC Corporate Cup
Frank Ruiz and Peje Codeniera scored 13 and 11 points, apiece for the losing Phelps Dodge which stands at the No. 8 seed in the quarterfinals.
Phelps Dodge will face Golden Hammer in the quarterfinals of the AEBC 7th Corporate Cup.
READ: AEBC Corporate Cup: Deo tows CBM Engineering past Davies Paints
Quarterfinals
Meanwhile, CS4 also advanced to the quarterfinals after clobbering Fenestram, 69-42, in the other game. CS4’s Jesriel Pino, Garrick Bande, and Jonas Panerio scored 14, 16, and 11 points, respectively.
Fenestram’s Niel Tiempo spoiled his game-high 17 points, as Patrick Paran’s 10 points.
CS4 will square off with seventh-seed Avantrac in the quarterfinals, while Fenestram was eliminated from the tournament.
Lastly, CBM Engineering edged Island Premium Paints, 71-65, behind Ivan Deo’s 22-point game.
Jett Latonio and Michael Laoc scored 11 points each for the winning squad.
Island Paint’s Aaron Uy scored 28 points, while Brennon Gothong had 14 points, but weren’t enough to give their team a quarterfinal slot.
CBM Engineering locks horns with fifth seed Davies Paints in the other quarterfinal pairing of the AEBC 7th Corporate Cup.