Accenture, Aegis share Division 1 lead in CSCC E-League

CEBU, Philippines – The Accenture Sharks cruised to a lopsided 67-40 win over the 1 & 1 Marauders in the 10th CSCC E-League men's basketball tournament last Saturday at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym. Accenture thus earned a share of Division 1 lead with defending champion Aegis Vipes, who also improved their record to 9-1 after winning by default over the 24/7 Cagers.

Accenture actually had a lukewarm start, leading by only three, 16-13, after the first 10 minutes play, but suddenly spewed fire starting in the second period to come up with a 27-point romp.

Ryan Edward Llanos paced Accenture with 17 points and three assists, while Archie Brian Vincent Batua banged in 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in another stellar show of hardcourt versatility.

Raymond Basañez had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists for 1&1, which dropped to 5-5.

In the other games, the Lexmark Stallions galloped past the Teleperformance Kings, 64-42, while the ePerformax Reds upended the Kyocera Frontiers, 62-52.

Jake Pia exploded with 20 points, on top of four rebounds, three assists and two steals as Lexmark tallied its seventh victory in 10 games. Niel Tiempo added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Stallions, who unleashed a crippling 24-10 run in the second quarter to seize full control of the match. They further ripped the game apart using a 17-2 scoring splurge in the third canto.

Nicholai James Vendiola had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Rnyl Joey Cagas had 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds but their efforts went in vain as Teleperformance slipped to 4-6.

On the other hand, the deadly troika of John Ryan Benlota, Mark Jeffrey Baello, and Robert Gilo wreaked havoc as ePerformax firmed up its grip of the solo second spot in Division 2 with a 9-1 win-loss record. Belota finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Baello had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Gilo pumped in 11 points and seven rebounds for ePerformax, which was in complete command after coasting to a 31-19 lead at the break.

Eliot Emerson Uy had 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals but still went home on a pensive mood as Kyocera fell to an even 5-5 card. — EBV) (FREEMAN)