Stallions set up final duel vs. Niños in Liga Cebu leg

CEBU, Philippines - The Trace-Laguna Stallions weathered a spirited endgame resistance by the diehard GenSan-Pacman MP Warriors to wade through a 75-71 victory and march into the Cebu leg final of Smart-Liga Pilipinas Conference 3 last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Stallions of coach Nomar Isla, thus, set up a title showdown with the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños, who thrashed them by 13 points, 65-78, during their previous encounter.

The Niños and the Stallions will surely raise the stake of their rivalry when they collide at 7:00 tonight, right after the battle for third place between the Warriors and the Quezon Red Oilers at 5 pm.

In a fine display of gallantry, the Warriors of boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao dismantled a 13-point deficit early in the third period and were even on the brink of scoring an upset over the Stallions had it not been for the ill-advised 3-point attempt by John Gonzaga.

Trailing at 34-47 with just two minutes gone by after the halftime break, the Warriors countered with a 19-3 blitz to briefly wrest the driver's seat, 53-51. The Stallions replied with eight straight points to regain control, 59-53, on successive triples by Marlon Legaspi and Arvie Mangahas with 1:44 left in the third period.

The Warriors stayed within striking distance and sent chills down the Stallions' bones when they pulled within just a hairline, 71-72, with only 1:14 to go in the game.

In the ensuing sequence, Laguna's Khiel Misa misfired back-to-back treys, giving the Warriors a new lease on life.

In their final possession though, the Warriors failed to execute one good play as Gonzaga threw off an awkward 3-pointer that was way off the target. Misa grabbed the rebound and was quickly fouled by Louie Medalla with only one second left before the final buzzer.

Misa sank his first foul shot and then intentionally bungled his second attempt, but Gerwin Gaco came in for the uncontested follow-through to settle the final outcome. Gaco topscored for the Stallions with 13 points, while the Sibonga-native Glenn Bolocon cashed in 10 markers.

Don Mendoza paced the Warriors with 13 points. Jethrone Recustodio charted 12 points, while Bob Ilanga and Jay Sagad each scored 10 in a losing cause. - THE FREEMAN