Sydney, NSW - The Filipino Basketball Night was a huge success for the Filipino community. The annual exhibition organized by HOOPDREAMZ and the Sydney Kings, and supported by PCC-NSW was held last night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.  The special event raised over $1000 for the benefit of the Sendong typhoon victims. 
 

The Filipino Basketball Night was the curtain raiser to the main game between the Sydney Kings and league leader Perth Wildcats. The two HOOPDREAMZ basketball selections featured some of the best up-and-coming Filipino-Australian basketball players across Sydney.  The Red Team was captained by Paolo Policarpio while the Blue Team was led by Anthony Montano.  The two teams went head to head early with an array of dazzling dunks, three-point shooting and fancy shots at break-neck speed.  The Blue Team led in the first half, 33-27.  In the second half, the Red Team put on a 10-0 scoring run behind Reubert Tandog, Daryl Pepito and Verge Alcantara to take lead for good.  UST collegiate stars Mel Gile and Chester Taylor, along with Daniel Briggs tried to close the gap for the Blue Team but could not overcome the Red Team’s momentum.  Red defeated Blue, 58-49. 


Sydney Kings players Graeme Dann, Julian Khazzouh, Ben Madgen and Aaron Bruce sat in one of the VIP boxes and watched the Filipino game with delight.  Kings shooting guard Madgen said, “You Filipinos are fast”, while Kings General Manager David Wolf said that it was a “surprisingly good pre-game with a few promising youngsters played very well.”
 

The pre-game was followed by a three-point shooting contest between four Filipino players, including captains Montano and Policarpio, Sean-Conrad Venal and Tom Cruz.  Policarpio hit 9 of 20 shots to claim the shooting title. Kookies N Kream, a finalist at the recently held World Supremacy Battlegrounds hip hop dance championship, performed a dynamic dance routine. Philippine Consul General Anne Louise was called upon to do the opening toss in the main game.  The vibrant audience swelled to 7,500 strong as the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats took centre court.  In front of the largest NBL crowd of the season, Sydney failed to hit two free throws with less than a second to go as Perth Wildcats survived a nail-biting finale to record a 76-75 iiNet NBL Championship win.
 

Hoopdreamz CEO Marco Selorio was very pleased with the Filipino Night. “The intention was to showcase aspiring Filipino-Australian athletes, but after learning about the tragedy in Mindanao, Hoopdreamz decided to use it as a fundraising vehicle for the Philippines. Every player on the court wore a black wristband in memory of the typhoon victims. The Pinoy community and media organizations came out to support us, and we are grateful to the Sydney Kings for supporting our cause.”
 
Celebrities spotted at the game include former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, former Australian rugby captain and Wallabies legend John Eales, AND1 owner John Fiddes, Australian basketball legends Andrew Gaze and Bruce Bolden,  Sunrise TV host David Koch and special guest Philippine Consul-General Louise and Vice Consul Merford Angeles.  
 
BASKETBALL PLAYERS LIST
Manager - Marco Selorio
 
Hoopdreamz Blue Team
1.      Anthony Montano (capt)
2.      Daniel Briggs
3.      Mel Gile
4.      Chester Taylor
5.      Gil De Mesa
6.      Segun Akinpetide
7.      Errol Gadia
8.      Rey Bambo
9.      Tom Cruz
10.  Sean Conrad Venal
11.  Arfien Burrusjd
12.  PJ Villanueva
 
Hoopdreamz Red Team
1.      Paolo Policarpio (capt)
2.      Daryl Pepito
3.      Vergel Meneses
4.      Pete Mapagu
5.      Reubert Tandog
6.      Brad Collins
7.      Jerome Danganan
8.      Lance Pandanganan
9.      Jay Pena Rhee
10.  Rey Racuyal
11.  Richard Lozina
12.  Deng Majok
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