It was billed as an east vs west affair, yet clearly, everyone was a winner.

The basketball court of the SLS Family Sports Centre reverberated with cheers, laughter and bouncing rubber for the Alex Tumang Cochrane Ballers Basketball Showdown, Aug. 26. In the end, the East won the close matchup with a surge in the dying minutes.

This game had everything: loud, cheering crowds, a half-time three-point competition and plenty of door prizes and giveaways. There were also a number of awards presented for everything from performance to popularity.

The Filipino Community loves basketball and they have strong family values. With the support of many generous sponsors, the showdown offered a chance to combine both.

The Cochrane Ballers Showdown is named in honour of Alex Tumang for his work in the Filipino community.

Michael Bautista, one of the organizers, had a permanent grin of satisfaction on his face while doing some play-by-play, then running about tending to other duties to make sure everyone was enjoying the evening.

"My goal for this event was to have fun and gather Filipino families in Cochrane," he says. "The Pinoy community works hard for their families and sometimes we need an event like this to enjoy some camaraderie. And, basketball is a big sport in the Philipines."

Bryan Verdillo, also on the organizing committee and co-founder of the Cochrane Ballers team in 2013, says the Filipino community has grown tremendously since he first arrived and now number over 300. It's a community that is gaining recognition and gaining sponsorship they never previously had. The Ballers have been a top performer in the Pinoy Airdrie basketball league with back-to-back championships in 2015-16 and were runners-up last year.

"The Cochrane Ballers are getting stronger and bigger to not only uniting people but also helping our youth."

The event bore the name of Alex Tumang, a top and successful realtor in Calgary who helps to find homes for Filipinos and assists Filipino families in the area, says Bautista.

"We decided to put his name to our basketball showdown to show him we are thankful to him and respect what he achieved in his field."

Numerous other sponsors stepped forward to lend their support for the showdown. They include Homeward Bound Pet food delivery, MassageWorks, McDonalds, Asian Quatro Bistro and the Filipino community itself.

Besides the shiny cups presented to the teams, many other awards were presented for everything from performance to popularity.

Winners were: Paolo Cuarteros, MVP; C. J. Cuesta, 3-Point Shootout King; John Robies, Rookie of the Year; July Bobis, Sportsmanship; and Mark Samano, Darling of the Crowd.

This is the second year of the event and Bautista says they plan to hold another one next year.