Regent-Shark devours Casino for lead share

CEBU CITY – Regent-Shark played steadier down the stretch to roll over Casino Ethyl Alcohol, 68-60, and gain a share of the lead in the PBL-CBF Dual Meet II at the University of San Carlos gym here.

The Cheeseballs’ feat came after Cebuana Lhuillier took a gallant fight to snap Montana’s three-game winning streak via an overwhelming 76-62 triumph in the match dubbed as the "Battle of Pawnshops."

Both the Cheeseballs and the Jewelers now tote identical 3-1 cards and need one more win to gain entry into the semifinals.

Warren Ybanez scored nine of his 15 points in a pivotal 13-6 run that settled the issue for Regent-Shark.

The Alcohol Masters threatened at 54-55 behind six straight points behind Gani Mercado, with 3:50 remaining.

But Ybanez came to the rescue, showing his mastery of court generalship as he joined hand with rookie Reynaldo Mendoza to virtually seal their victory, 68-59, with 28 seconds to go before a trey by Lito Celiz pegged the final count.

Montana failed to neutralize the rivals’ fastbreak game as Cebuana Lhuillier came ready with its artilleries led by ex-pro Stephen Padilla and Junnel Maglasang to move up to solo third with a 2-1 slate.

Maglasang ignited a 12-6 run to pull the Bankers from a tight 23-22 edge to a 35-28 lead, 1:42 left before the half.

Roused by the hometown crowd, Cebuana Lhuillier continued its onslaught in the second half. Padilla, who chipped in 22 points, fired two triples, Dennis Lim followed it up with two more trays while Roy Lura added another as the gap stretched to 16, 59-43.

The closest Montana could get to trim the gap to nine, 62-71, with 35 seconds to go before a basket by Max Delantes and another triple by Padilla wrapped up the match.

In the other game, Skygo Riders outlasted GMC-Tortillos, 78-75.