DOHA: The six teams who would make it to the quarter-final rounds have started to shape up with the results of the games last Friday that saw cellar dwellers bowing out already but not with a good fight in the last three playing days left of the 5th McDonald’s Qatar Basketball Cup 2009 of Pinoy Basketball of Qatar at Al Gharafa Multi-Training Gym.

In fact, GAC World showed its last hurrah tenacity by eking out a four-point victory over heavily-favoured Quiapo Kamikaze, 83-79, in the second game although their two wins and seven losses record may no longer bear chances for them to stay alive in the next round.

The game was tight in the first half when it was tied at 41-all as both teams were trading baskets with GAC taking early leads but Kamikaze tried to come back in the remaining minutes.

GAC started to pull away, 56-52, with three minutes left in the third quarter as point guard Elmer Santander and big-man center Jojo Longalong converted back-to-back baskets from fast break play when Kamikaze committed turn-overs.

GAC maintained its lead in the fourth quarter by being consistent with their play and the Mutt and Jeff dou of Santander and Longalong continue to deliver the crucial baskets until the final buzzer.

In the final game, Western Union International suffered a bitter defeat to KBAS Contracting, 111-88, as their players lose their composure in the final five minutes due to the protest they howled on the bad calls against one of the referees.

Small forward Jayson Linao was so upset with what he saw and believed were two successive uncalled whistles that he shouted invectives that slapped them a technical foul.

In the other game, Bilfinger Berger registered another victory over SBQ-Kamayan Restaurant, 87-75 as the trio of Andrew Salud, who got 28 points, Arvin Mangubat with 19 points and Bogs Lahor with 18 points took the opportunity over a lot of turn-overs by Kamayan Restaurant with easy perimeter and inside baskets. Both teams, however, are now in the contention to the quarterfinal rounds.

With the results of Friday’s games, two teams, KBAS (4-4) and Kamikaze (3-5), would likely slug it out to the last slot for quarterfinal rounds. The rest of the teams are on their way out and wait for the next season.

THE PENINSULA