Amigos nip Patriots in overtime

Cagayan de Oro kept its composure down the stretch then held Nueva Ecija to only two points in overtime to pull off a 95-92 victory yesterday in the MBA FedEx Crossover Cup at the Mindanao Polytechnic College gym.

The Amigos threw a defensive blanket on the Patriots' gunners in the extra period and leaned on Ruel Josol's steady free throw shooting in the closing seconds to complete the come-from-behind victory before a cheering hometown crowd.

It was a fitting gift to Cagayan de Oro team owner Butch Canoy's birthday as the Amigos scored their second victory in three outings, two at the expense of the Patriots, whom they beat, 95-88, in Nueva Ecija last week.

The Patriots, fresh from a 99-91 win over the Surigao Warriors last Wedneday, were held to just six attempts in overtime while turning the ball over eight times in that stretch for their second loss in three games.

Norman Gonzales finished with a double-double performance with 24 points, including eight in the final quarter, and 19 rebounds while Peter Naron and Allan Garrido backed him up with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

Trailing most of the way, the Amigos unleashed a 21-7 run at the onset of the fourth quarter as they wrested an 84-82 lead going into the last three minutes of the contest after trailing by eight, 63-75, at the end of the third period.

But the hosts broke down in defense, enabling Willie Miller, who led the Patriots with 23 points, to spark Nueva Ecija's 8-4 run that gave the lead back to the Patriots, 90-88, before Edwin Manabat came off the bench to fire two clutch foul shots to force the overtime.

At the Bren Guiao Sports Complex in San Fernando, Pampanga, the Dragons rolled to their second straight victory by beating the Negros Slashers, 107-97.

Ernesto Ballesteros scored nine of the 17 points in the final period to power the host squad to their second victory and in a tie with the Davao Eagles. The Slashers dropped to 1-1. -