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Top cagers, showbiz stars raise funds for ‘Sendong’ victims

Top cagers, showbiz stars raise funds for ‘Sendong’ victims

MANILA, Philippines—It turned out to be a showcase of generosity and talent.

Taking time out for a cause, PBA legend Allan Caidic and Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena led a select group of pro and amateur cagers who strutted their stuff along with showbiz stars in Fastbreak Friday at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Ateneo center Justin Chua and dancer-actor Jhong Hilario drilled 16 points each and Ravena had 14 as Smart-White downed Meralco-Red, 118-107, in a charity basketball match for the benefit of victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong” in Cagayan de Oro.

“I think I’ll trade any championship for this one,” said Ravena, the UAAP Rookie of the Year who organized the fund raiser. “It’s good to win, but it also feels good to help.”

In the three-point shootout, Caidic still ruled over PBA MVP James Yap of the B-Meg Llamados, Chris Ellis of PBA D-League champion NLEX and GMA-7 news reporter Mark Zambrano.

Caidic, one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players, edged Ellis, 11-8, in the final round after topping the eliminations with 14 points.

Celebrities Ervic Vijandre and Champ Lui Pio also took the two-ball title after combining for 40.

Pacing the Meralco-Red were singer Young JV with 22 points while former UAAP MVP RR Garcia of Far Eastern U and Ateneo’s Nico Salva scored 14 points each.

Cagayan de Oro natives Joseph Marata of La Salle and Ateneo’s JP Erram also suited up for Meralco-Red along with the La Salle duo of Joshua Webb and Dan Sara, Jai Reyes, Thirdy Ravena, popular actor Gerald Anderson and celebrities Jon Hall, Tado and Gab Valenciano.

Smart Gilas skipper Chris Tiu and comedian Jose Manalo saw action for Smart-White along with Letran’s Kevin Alas, San Beda’s Baser Amer and Jake Pascual, actors Marco Alcaraz, Luis Alandy, Vijandre, singers Rico Blanco and Lui Pio, cagers Anton Altamirano and Raf Melocoton.

The scores:

SMART-WHITE 118—Hilario 16, Chua 16, Ravena K. 14, Vijandre 13, Tiu 12, Alcaraz 11, Alandy 7, Alas 6, Altamirano 6, Manalo 6, Pascual 6, Melocoton 3, Lui Pio 2, Amer 0, Blanco 0, Villarias 0.

MERALCO-RED 107—Young JV 22, Salva 14, Garcia 14, Marata 12, Anderson 11, Hall 8, Erram 8, Reyes 6, Valenciano 4, Webb 3, Tado 3, Sara 2, Ravena T. 0.

Quarters: 25-27, 50-62, 87-86, 118-107

Charity basketball game for Sendong victims gives fans a treat

Celebrities and basketball players came together and made Fastbreak, a charity game for the victims of tropical storm Sendong, a successful event.

Basketball and non-basketball fans, including PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), had a great time at the San Juan Arena last January 6, as stars entertained the audience with what turned out to be a basketball exhibition rather than an actual game.

The star-studded lineup of the basketball-game-for-a-cause included celebrities Gerald Anderson, Jhong Hilario, Jon Hall, Young Jvee, Gab Valenciano, Luis Alandy, Marco Alcaraz, and Ervic Vijandre.

Also present at the event were rock stars Rico Blanco and Champ Lui Pio.

Giving the event an unexpected twist was the comedic act of Jose Manalo and Tado.

TV host-athlete Chris Tiu was one of the most-anticipated players.

Meanwhile, UAAP (University Athletics Association of the Philippines) and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) standouts RR Garcia, Kevin Alas, Nico Salva, Justin Chua, and many others showed their skills on the hard court.

Most applauded among the collegiate ballers was the guy behind the event: UAAP Rookie of the Year Kiefer “The Phenom” Ravena.

Basketball legends Allan Caidic and James Yap, as well PBA D-League players Chris Ellis and Karl Dehesa also dropped by.

Spotted in the audience were box-office star Vice Ganda and couples Valerie Concepcion and Dondon Hontiveros.

The game ended with Smart White winning against Meralco Red, 118 - 107.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS. With a collection of different personalities who are all stars in their respective fields, it was not your typical basketball game.

The show was a friendly gesture which delighted the fans who paid to watch their favorite stars play.

Proceeds of the game would go to our kababayans in Cagayan de Oro.

Jhong Hilario earned cheers from the crowd as he showed his “sample” exhibition moves, doing backflips and other stunts while dribbling the ball before making free-throw shots.

Young Jvee showed his dance moves while making baskets. At the end of the game, he was one of the lead scorers of his team, Meralco Red.

Sending the message that it was a friendly game and not a competition, Ravena even assisted an alley-oop going to the opposing team’s Nico Salva.

The arrival of Gerald Anderson, who came late in the first half for the Red Team, had the crowd, especially the females, cheering the Budoy star to take a shot every time he had the ball.

Comedian Tado, probably the least athletic of all the players in the court, was up to his usual antics and even made a shot with his shorts pulled down to his knees.

But what made the fans really laugh was the late entry of Jose Manalo in the third quarter, what with Jose doing an impersonation of Gerald’s TV character, Budoy.

College hoops stars, celebs play charity game for ‘Sendong’ victims

SMART-White defeated Meralco-Red, 118-107, Friday in the Fastbreak charity event at the Fil Oil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Dancer Jhong Hilario and Ateneo’s Justin Chua each had 16 points while event organizer Kiefer Ravena had 14 points for SMART-White.

Ravena thanked the fans who bought tickets to the game, whose proceeds will go to the victims of ‘Sendong’ in Northern Mindanao.

“Personally, speechless ako dahil sobrang saya. Hindi ko ito makakalimutan. It’s basketball pero at the same time, nakakatulong kami sa mga Pilipino at masaya ‘yung mga nanood,” said Ravena.

The reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year added that the proceeds will go through Ateneo which will then go straight to Xavier University, which currently has the biggest evacuation center in Cagayan De Oro for the typhoon victims.

The game hardly mattered as the fans who trooped to the venue got to see a very entertaining event.

Matinee idol Gerald Anderson got female fans up their feet every time he touched the ball. He even scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first half.

Comedian Jose Manalo faced off with Anderson at halftime playing “Unggoy,” spoofing the former’s television soap character “Budoy”.

Manalo, who was part of SMART-White, drew even more laughs from the crowd when he refereed for the most part of the third quarter, allowing his team to come back in the ball game.

Manalo put the final nail in the coffin of Meralco-red with a three-point shot for a 116-104 lead with less than two minutes to go in the game.

In the side events, Allan Caidic proved that he still has the touch as he beat his younger opponents in the three-point shootout.

Caidic defeated NLEX’s Chris Ellis, 11-8, in the finals after hitting 14 three-pointers in the elimination round. Also competing in the event were B-MEG Llamados guard James Yap and broadcaster Mark Zambrano.

Actor Ervic Vijandre and Hale frontman Champ Lui Pio won the two-ball competition.