Avantrac improves to 5-1; Dwightsteel, Lite Panel secure wins

(L to R) Dwightsteel’s Rozien Rivera (11), Avantrac’s Noriko Benedicto (0), and Lite Panel’s Tristan Cabrera (33). | AEBC photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines — PICE 2–Avantrac tightened its grip of the third spot of the 8th Corporate Cup of the Architects and Engineers Basketball Club (AEBC) with an 87–77 victory over fellow civil engineers, PICE 1–EGS Surveying, on Friday night, May 9, at the University of San Carlos (USC) Downtown Campus gym.

Noriko Benedicto led the charge for PICE 2–Avantrac with 19 points and three rebounds, while Anton Chua turned in an all-around performance with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Despite fielding just eight players, Harold Punay and Sean Andre Chan also stepped up, contributing 14 and 10 points, respectively.

With the win, PICE 2–Avantrac improved to a 5-1 record, firmly holding the No. 3 spot in the team standings.

On the other side, James Bolos paced EGS with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Dafydd Tallido added 10 markers as they slipped to 1-4, currently at 10th place.

In another matchup, PICE 3–Dwightsteel outlasted UAP–Buildrite, 84–77, powered by Rozien Rivera’s 25-point explosion along with two rebounds and two assists. Miggy Dela Torre chipped in 19 points to lift Dwightsteel to a 3-3 record.

Despite John Buhawe’s 20 points and seven rebounds, Buildrite also dropped to a 3-3 record, slipping in the standings to fourth place.

Meanwhile, PME B–Lite Panel leaned on a monster game from Tristan Cabrera, who dropped a tournament-high 32 points along with nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in a 73–67 win over CompE–Rural Bank of Rizal.

Eric Pummer added 16 points for Lite Panel, who now sit at 3-3, while CompE–Rural Bank of Rizal fell to 2-3. Arnel Cordero led the losing side with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.