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| Cebu, MisOr down rivals (07/14/2010) |
| The Cebu Niños leaned on their solid defense to pull off a 95-86 win over fifth leg champion Hobe Bihon-Taguig City while the Misamis Meteors came through with a blazing assault in the second quarter en route to a 93-81 win over Mandaue City in the first game. Though the Niños got off to a fast start that saw them post a 34-13 lead, they had to fend off Taguig’s torrid fourth quarter fightback to notch their 26th straight win dating back the Third Conference of the Liga Pilipinas last year. They topped the first leg by winning all their four games, including in the finals against Ascof Lagundi. With Lou Gatumbato at the helm, Taguig managed to close in at 89-85 but Abby Santos and Ian Saladaga came through with a huge defensive stop in two occasions to frustrate the visiting team in the tournament organized jointly by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas. The 6-foot-5 Santos led Cebu’s well-balanced attack with 18 points and nine rebounds while Marlon Basco, one of the five former PBA players in the team, added 15 markers. Former University of the Visayas guard Mark Ababon came off the bench to contribute 14 points, including three triples, along with seven assists. "My starters played very well but my second unit did not step up for this game that's why we failed to keep the intensity throughout the game. They also relaxed a little bit when we took the big lead and this should not happen knowing the quality of opposition in this leg," said Ninos coach Raul "Yayoy" Alcoseba. The Meteors who topped the fourth leg held in Mandaue, bucked a slow start by scoring 30 straight points in the second quarter while holding the Landmasters to just three points. With forward Niel Raneses and 6-foot-7 Mark Andaya dominating the shaded lane, the Meteors erased a 6-18 deficit and went on to post a 42-23 lead at halftime. Raneses had 23 points 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists to lead four MisOr players in double digits. "May complacency ang mga bata sa first period kaya medyo nahirapan kami. Pero ang maganda, bumawi sa second quarter at doon dumiretso na," said Misamis coach Jun Noel. The scores: First Game MisOr 93 – Raneses 23, Saldua 19, Tagupa 15, Andaya 14, Taganas 8, Moreno 6, Misa 3, Lucernas 2, Daa 2, Lamocha 1, Morial 0, Cabahug 0, Butel 0, Mandaue 81 – Laygo 18, Gerilla 14, Alcaraz 12, Zanoria 11, Magpayo 7, Magdadaro 6, Bucao 5, Dennison 4, Villaver 3, Latonio 1, Reyes 0, Tangarorang 0 Quarters: 15-23; 44-26; 67-50; 93-81. Second Game MLKP Cebu 95 – Santos 18, Basco 15, Ababon 14, Dacia 14, Padilla 13, Mapana 8, Ybanez 7, Magsumbol 4, Saladaga 2, Nailon 0, Poligrates 0 Hobe Bihon-Taguig 86 – Gatumbato 12, Fernandez 11, Vizcarra 11, Sta. Cruz 9, De Castro 9, Dela Cuesta 8, Marquez 8, Guiyab 5, Cacha 5, Lumungsod 3, Reguera 3, Kiram 2, Tajonera 0. Quarters: 34-18; 52-36; 72-61; 95-86.
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