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| Warriors stun Niños (07/23/2010) |
| The M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu is not invincible after all. Coincidentally, it was Manny Pacquio’s team – the MP Gensan – which knocked the Niños out and ended their 30-game winning run – one of the longest in recent history. Making the necessary stops and hitting the big baskets at crunch time, the Warriors carved out a king-sized 79-74 upset win over the Niños in the seventh leg of the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP) yesterday at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym in Manila. With former Far Eastern University star Chris Nicdao and Angel Raymundo at the helm, the Warriors dictated the tempo of the game right from the start to post the biggest win in the two-month old tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League and Liga Pilipinas. The win likewise revived Gensan’s title bid after a heart-breaking 77-72 loss to Ani-FCA in the opener last Wednesday. Meanwhile, Pari Llagas scored with almost no time left to lift Cobra Energy Drink to a pulsating 82-80 win over Ani-FCA and forge a virtual knockout match today for the finals. All four teams – Cebu, Cobra, Ani-FCA and Gensan – have similar 1-1 records. Former University of the East stars Elmer Espiritu and Val Acuna registered 16 points each while Peejay Barua knocked in 14 markers to power the Ironmen to the victory. Cebu’s streak started during last year's Liga Pilipinas Conference III which it swept by willing all their 21 games then won nine more in three TOP legs. The last time Cebu lost was on April 20, 2009 when it was defeated by rivals Misamis Oriental, 64-52, to wrest the Liga Pilipinas Conference II crown in the pivotal fifth game of their title series held at the Cebu City Coliseum. Nicdao had 17 points and seven rebounds while Raymundo notched a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Also helping Gensan's cause are John Gonzaga, Jasper Callo and Dave Sagad who all scored 10 points apiece with Sagad adding 11 boards. Sweet-shooting guard Jonathan Parreno also came through with two crucial treys in the waning minutes. After Cebu's Bruce Dacia scored on a reverse layup off two defenders to cut the lead to two, Parreno buried a huge three with a second left on the shot clock to make it a 73-68 lead with 3:03 to go. Stephen Padilla, who finished with 21 points on a 7-of-21 shooting from rainbow country, uncorked a triple to cut the deficit to 74-71, 1:17 remaining, but Parreno answered by draining another trey to finally scuttle Cebu’s comeback. The scores: First Game MP GENSAN 79 - Nicdao 17, Raymundo 16, Gonzaga 10, Sagad 10, Callo 10, Parreno 6, Yambao 4, Daja 4, Concepcion 2, Pacquiao B. 0, Farochilen 0, Medalla 0. M. LHUILLIER CEBU 74 - Padilla 23, Dacia 12, Mepana 12, Ababon 6, Santos 6, Magsumbol 5, Cruz 4, Ybanez 3, Poligrates 3, Basco 0, Saladaga 0. Quarters: 24-19; 46-35; 61-53; 79-74. Second Game COBRA 82 - Espiritu 16, Acuna 16, Barua 14, Canizares 9, Llagas 8, Lingganay 7, Nabong 6, Tecson 4, Bagatsing 2, Afable 0. ANI-FCA 80 - Luanzon 15, Hugnatan 13, Sena 12, Custodio 12, Saguindel 8, Bautista 6, Arao 5, Membrere 5, Dizon 2, Berry 2, Cagoco 0, Co 0. Quarters: 23-16; 40-36; 58-58; 82-80.
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