Mandaue, MisOr set up KO duel

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY ,Philippines  — Top seed Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue and host Misamis Oriental Meteors toppled separate opponents Friday in the SMC Liga Pilipinas Super Leg at the Xavier University Gymnasium to set the stage for a knockout game for the second spot in Sunday’s National Finals game. Both teams hold 2-1 win-loss cards and will play each other on the final day of the preliminaries.

With team owner Gov. Oscar S. Moreno in attendance, the Meteors of Coach Jun Noel controlled majority of the contest and led by as much as 19 points midway in the third period, 62-43. That did not faze the Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Philip Cezar as they roared back in the final period.

Silent in the first three periods, Bryan Faundo and Glenn Bolocon finally found their shooting touch as they powered the Golden Lions’ rally. Bolocon scored to threaten at the 38-second mark, 80-86, but solid free throw shooting by Neil Raneses down the stretch preserved the win.

The victory came at a cost though as Meteors scoring leader Egay Billones hurt his hand and left the game early in the second period. Ardy Larong sat out the game after injuring his hamstring in the previous game.

Lyndon Gudez led the Meteors with 19 points and five steals while Raneses added 14 points. Faundo paced the Golden Lions with 17 markers and seven rebounds followed by Bolocon and Robert Sanz with13 apiece.

In the second game, Mandaue’s masterful 77-58 win over the MP Warriors of GenSan was marred by a fracas with 59 seconds to play and the outcome long decided. Jasper Callo punched Harlow Villanil on the nape resulting in both players’ ejection and technical fouls on both teams for entering the court.

That incident aside, Mandaue of Joe Soberano and Rick King and Coach Jun Tan led from the opening buzzer. They never stopped from there as they increased their lead to as much as 28 points via a series of triples from Leo Losentes to begin the fourth period, 71-43.

Ariel Capus buried three triples en route to topping Mandaue with 18 points. Losentes also had three triples as part of his 13 points. Jonathan Parreno was the high man for the Warriors with 14 followed by Louie Medalla with nine points. By dropping all their four games, the Warriors of Rep. Manny D. Pacquiao and Coach Arvin Bonleon will automatically take Fifth Place.

The defending National Champion M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños, who are undefeated in three games, drew a bye on Day Four and is already assured of a spot in the National Championship game regardless of the outcome of the final preliminary games.

The games of the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V are shown over Basketball TV from Monday to Saturday at 5:30 pm with the support of San Miguel, Molten, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Accel.

The scores

First game

MisOr (92) – Gudez 19, Raneses 14, Bono 13, Billones 10, Misa 8, Lingganay 8, Daa 6, Lamocha 6, Capati 4, Lucernas 4

Laguna (85) – Faundo 17, Sanz 13, Bolocon 13, Franco 10, Saguindel 7, Legaspi 6, Glorioso 5, Bautista 4, Feihl 4, Asoro 4, Flores 2

Quarterscores:22-19, 45-37, 70-54, 92-85.

Second game

Mandaue (77) – Capus 18, Losentes 13, Manuel 12, Mondragon 9, Magsumbol 6, Marlon Basco 5, Sta. Cruz 5, Doruelo 3, Guiyab 2, Villaver 2, Dedicatoria 2

 GenSan (58) – Parreno 14, Medalla 9, Grijaldo 8, Nicdao 7, Musni 4, Cordero 4, Sagad 2, Callo 2, Locsin 2, Alih 2, Mendoza 2, Alfad 2

Quarterscores:20-11, 45-51, 57-38, 77-56