Buildrite players apply defensive pressure on an EGS cager during their AEBC 8th Corporate Cup matchup. | AEBC photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Rural Bank of Rizal and Buildrite secured key victories to keep their quarterfinals bid alive in the Architects and Engineers Basketball Club (AEBC) 8th Corporate Cup on Saturday night, June 7, at the University of San Carlos (USC) Downtown Campus.
The Rural Bank of Rizal, composed of computer engineers, improved to 6-4 to climb to fifth place in the standings.
Buildrite, represented by cagers from the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), also holds a 6-4 record but currently sits a spot ahead due to quotient.
Jaezon Estella powered Rural Bank of Rizal to a 91-86 win over Mortabond with a stellar 31-point, 12-rebound double-double, along with one assist and one block. Michael Neri added his own double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, plus four assists and a steal.
The team also got solid contributions from Neil Tiempo and Arnel Cordero, who scored 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Despite the loss, Mortabond’s Romy Faunillan delivered a game-high 37 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. Aquim Bordomeo chipped in 20 points, while Mark Monterola recorded a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Karlo Miko Taboada added 10 markers. The defeat dropped Mortabond to 4-6, placing them at eighth.
BUILDRITE VS EGS
In the other match in the AEBC Corporate Cup, Buildrite edged EGS Surveying behind a balanced offensive effort.
John Buhawe led Buildrite with 24 points, five rebounds, one assist, and a steal. Miguel Cenabre followed with 18 points, while Dex Caadan posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Carlos Baltar contributed 13 points in the win.
EGS got a strong outing from John Zafico, who scored 27 points. Rodney Labang and Andrew Ocena added 12 points each in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, Johnro Electrical remains unbeaten at 10-0, securing the No. 1 seed for the quarterfinals. Kinsman Engineering (9-1) and Avantrac (7-3) round out the top three.