Lhuillier Kwarta Padala cops NBL crown

CEBU CITY — M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu waxed hot midway the third quarter to pull away from Forward Taguig and capture the first NBL National Championship crown, 91-80, yesterday at the New Cebu Coliseum here.

The Cebuanos, who trailed most of the way in the first half, showed their true colors with their well-orchestrated plays behind pointguard Woodraw Enriquez, Ruben de la Rosa and ageless skipper Darryl Smith before Arnold Rodriguez delivered the final blows to wrap up the best-of-three series via a sweep.

Rodriguez topped with 22 points, three rebounds and seven assists — a feat that also merited the prestige as the Finals MVP in this tournament sponsored by Tanduay Rhum, Air Philippines, PCSO, Panasonic, Burlington, Cebu Ferries, SuperCat, Gatorade, Nature’s Spring Drinking Water, BJ Star Logistics, The Freeman, Sinners and Saints, Jaguar KTV and Molten Basketball and telecast over IBC-13 through the facilities of Silverstar Communications Inc. with replays over Destiny’s Prime Channel 61.

"We didn’t just join here as a team but we also carry the ideals and aspirations of a proud culture that shaped the country’s history. And to capture the first NBL National crown is not just an honor for our company M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala but also a big historic victory for the Cebuanos and the whole Visayas region," said Cebu coach Raul "Yayoy" Alcoseba, adjudged NBL’s "Coach of the Year".

"M. Lhuillier has been in the basketball scene for the past 20 years and won several championships. But for us, this triumph is probably the sweetest because we all worked hard for it," he added.

Egged on by the presence of team owners Michel and wife Amparito, M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala’s solid teamwork paid off in the second half, unleashing a pivotal 12-2 spurt that wound up the third quarter at 54-48 and held control from thereon.

The best Taguig could do was trim the gap to just five, 79-84, 2:04 remaining but lost steam down the stretch.

Rodriguez sank a jumper while Jessie Lumantas followed it up with a three-point play off Kim Macanig to widen the gap anew, 89-79, with 1:09 remaining.

All hopes for Forward Taguig went up in smoke following a turnover by Robin Mendoza before Rodriguez decided to settle the issue with a basket in the dying minute.

At the start, it seemed the series is headed for a deciding Game three as Taguig dictated the tempo in the early goings, enjoying a 23-10 lead, 2:34 in the first quarter.

But Mike Manigo stepped up, burying two triples as he joined Rey Cantona and Smith in the rousing comeback that leveled the count at 35-all and sent the jampacked crowd in jubilation.

Cebu not only dominated the boards, 41-29, but also got 21 points on second chance attempts and translated the rivals’ turnovers into 18 points.

Ocanada backed up Rodriguez with 16 points, while De la Rosa and Cantona added 13 and 10 points respectively.

Smith was likewise a big help in Cebu’s title-clinching victory, accounting for nine points and 15 rebounds.

The loss, however, overshadowed the impressive double-double feat of Robin Mendoza who delivered 28 points, four rebounds and 12 assists.

Leo Vilar also played an all around game for Taguig with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Miko Roldan and Jimmy Robillos added 11 and 10 respectively.

The scores:

Cebu 91 — Rodriguez 22, Ocanada 16, De la Rosa 13, Cantona 10, Smith 9, Manigo 8, Enriquez 7, Lumantas 6, Canoneo 0, Caputolan 0, Aying 0.

Taguig 80 — Mendoza 28, Vilar 15, Roldan 11, Robillos 10, Go-Bon 8, Sta. Maria 2, Cahanding 2, Dais 2, Macanig 2, Bernardino 0, Quimpo 0.

Quarterscores: 16-26; 54-48; 73-66; 91-80