CEBU, Philippines - Bronson Peña fired a season-high 21 points as the First Family Appliance ’87/94 spoiled the landmark night of Erick Andrew So with a 68-62 drubbing of MFL Mini-Mart ’98-A in the Cebu Eastern College Alumni Basketball Association’s 11th Dr. Chen Lieh Fu Memorial Cup on Tuesday night at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Peña was heavily backed up by Henrich Chua with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals even as two others dished out twin figures for Class ’87/94. Wellington Yu added 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Neil Angana donated 10 markers for the First Family Appliance-backed squad, which improved its win-loss record to 8-6.
Class ’87/94 used a sizzling 24-14 rally in the second quarter to close the first half with a 35-26 advantage and dictate the tempo of the match the rest of the way.
E.A. So, who finished with 17 points, joined the league’s 1,000-point club, but couldn’t celebrate fully as Class ’98-A sustained its eighth defeat in 14 games.
Rex Millan paced Class ’98-A with a season-high 33 points on top of 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Paul Timothy So had 10 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a losing cause.
In the other game, GCM Merchandise ’98-B shrugged off a slow start to stun RJC Transport Solutions ’99, 74-64.
Class ’98-B trailed by six points early on, 17-23, but locked the count at 33-all at the break before whipping up a furious 25-9 storm to rip the game apart with a 16-point advantage, 58-42, heading into the payoff period.
Robinson Yap scattered 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals for Class ’98-B. Elvis Evangelista also had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Leovigildo Yu chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists as they rose to 6-8, while handing Class ’99 its only second loss in 15 starts.
Mark Eugene Bukiron exploded with season-highs 32 points and 15 rebounds for Class ’99, but got support only from Kent Noeh Ang with 11 markers.
The scores
First game
Class ’87/94 (68) - Peña 21, H. Chua 15, W. Yu 11, Angana 10, Beldeniza 4, Quilacio 3, Jao 2, Tolentino 2
Class ’98-A (62) - Millan 33, E. So 17, P. So 10, Sy 2
Second game
Class ’98-B (74) - Yap 21, Evangelista 21, Yu 14, Co 9, Escoton 5, Po 2, Plaza 2
Class ’99 (64) - Bukiron 32, Ang 11, Uy 6, Lauron 4, Tan 3, Balila 2, Sia 2, See 2, Bagano 2. – EBV (THE FREEMAN)