RIYADH – The seventh week of the ongoing Juffali Basketball League saw exciting duels. This event is sponsored by Western Union in cooperation with Juffali Benz Cars and JIPCO. Secondary sponsors are The Filipino Dentists Group of Saudi Arabia, Laguna Lakers Cargo Forwarders, WRJ Freight Forwarders, Merex Forwarders and Pepsi Cola. The Saudi Arabia Basketball Referees Association (SABRA) is handling the officiating. In the Inter-Automotive Division, Petromin came strong and denied the hot favorite JACO in a highly contested match, 88-87, during the weekend action at the Juffali Compound here. Coach Sherlamaine Cruzis' winning team closed the first quarter with a three-point advantage, 27-24 but bowed down to JACO in the second canto, 46-43. In the third, the winner again was riddled with foul penalties giving advantage to JACO, 69-64. However, in the final leg, the winner kept tight defense on JACO's top gun Lisandro to pull off a thrilling win. It also took advantage of JACO's foul situation to stage a comeback on free throws. In another match in the same division, Petromin again snatched another win against Jaguar, 89-64. It improved its win-loss record to 2-1 to remain in top three while in the Inter-Company Division, 3-1, also in top three. United Motors also bagged its second victory at the expense of Samaco, 100-61, in the same group. The win highlighted a 23 to 4 run by the winner in the third quarter to secure a much-needed victory. In the Inter-Department Division, Saudi Ericsson also scored its second win against Hyundai in a one-sided affair,114-73. The winner remains the leader in this selection with a 2-0 win-loss card. JAMED also settled for another win at the expense of Hyundai, 81-58, and stayed in second spot with a 2-1 win-loss record. In the Inter-Company Selection, Saudi Lebanese Tarouk denied Al-Hukaime in a no-match contest, 104-71. It was the winner's third win after five outings in this division while it was Hukaime's fifth upset in all its matches. Petromin, meanwhile, also gained its third win against Pizza Inn, 98-77, in the same division. In another game, KAFD came strong to secure a win over Pizza Inn, 104-87. It was Pizza Inn's fourth loss after six outings. Standings after 7th week: Inter-Company: Al-Hokair 3-0, Saudi Ericsson 2-0, KAFD 3-1, Petromin 3-1, Saudi Lebanese Tarouk 3-2, Pizza Inn 2-4, Panda 1-1, Coffee Essence 1-3, DHL 0-2, Al-Hukaime 0-4. Inter-Automotive: JACO (Mercedes Benz) 4-1, Al-Jomaih 3-1, Petromin 2-1, United Motors 1-1, Jaguar (Land Rover) 1-4, Volvo 0-1, Samaco 0-4. Inter-Department: Saudi Ericsson 2-0, JAMED 2-1, Al-Bazai 1-0, Maybach 1-1, Al-Wahlan 1-1.
