Chester Cokaliong knocked in 25 triples of his total 89 points to power the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association All-Stars to a 143-94 annihilation of the CECABA selection during their goodwill encounter that spiced up the 14th Dr. Chen Lieh Fu Memorial Cup Fun Day over the weekend at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Interestingly, it was Cokaliong’s first and only game of the year.
Cokaliong achieved that feat after being outclassed by Aljhun Areja of Class 2004 and Normal Lopez of Class ’93 in the 3-point shooting contest earlier in the day.
Nevertheless, it was truly a day to remember for Cokaliong, who went on to claim his 17th All-Star MVP since he figured prominently in All-Star games way back in 2003.
“Not in my wildest expectations that I would score 89 points in an All-Star game after losing in the 3-point shootout contest before the game,” said the multi-awarded shipping magnate who carved his own niche in the local hoopdom with his sharp-shooting skills.
Cokaliong’s personal record though was 103 points spiked with 38 3-pointers he unloaded in a CECABA regular season game on April 28, 2002.
It was no less a sweet revenge of sort for the CECABA Stars, who were stunned by the CECABA Selection by a wide margin, 97-113, in their June 29 match last year.
This time around, it was a brutal reversal of fortune as the Cokaliong-led CECABA Stars easily hammered their way to a gut-wrenching 49-point demolition of their former tormentor.
Cokaliong churned out 45 points in the first half laced with 10 triples to propel the CECABA Stars to a commanding 68-41 lead at the bend.
After hitting 17 markers in the third canto, Cokaliong capped his game-long brilliance by drilling in 27 points – all from the beyond the arc in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Cokaliong and his brother Christopher settled for first runner-up honors in the 2-ball competition topped by Joseph James Yu and Dean Dy Teves of Class ‘95.
THE SCORES:
CECABA All-Stars (143) – Ches. Cokaliong 89, Chris. Cokaliong 12, Gabatan 8, J. Yu 7, Chan 6, Bukiron 6, Dy Teves 4, R. Yu 4, Wang 4, Saguindel 3
CECABA Selection (94) – Areja 23, Lua 17, Uy 13, Cabellon 11, Alinson 10, E. So 5, Chu 5, Ho 4, C. Tan 2, Delit 2.
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