Scorpions notch Number 2 vs Che’Lu five

MANILA, Philippines — Rod Ebondo fell two blocks short of a rare triple-double as Centro Escolar University crushed Che’Lu Bar&Grill-San Sebastian, 105-88, in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at Pasig Sports Center yesterday.

Ebondo dominated the paint and came away with 28 points and 23 rebounds and drew solid backup from Orlan Wamar, who shot 18 points, and Rich Guinitaran and Judel Fuentes, who fired 14 points apiece, powering the Scorpions to their second straight victory.

“Ebondo played his A-game,” said CEU coach Yong Garcia. “Hopefully, we could play this way in our succeeding games.”

The 22-year-old Ebondo poured in 11 of his output in the first half while Guinitaran and Fuentes also hit their marks, powering CEU to a 51-42 lead at the break. 

And after Alfred Batino pulled Che’Lu Bar&Grill-San Sebastian within, 57-64, midway in the third quarter, Ebondo sparked another 13-4 run as the Scorpions extended their lead to 77-61 entering the fourth. 

CEU made 42 of 79 attempts, including 12 of 31 from three-point range to cushion their 21 turnovers and deal Che’Lu Bar&Grill-SSC its second straight loss after sweeping its first two games.

Kent Ilagan paced Che’Lu-San Sebastian with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Allyn Bulanadi came off the bench to score 13 markers.

Akari-Adamson nearly blew a 25-point bulge but held on to hack out a 98-92 victory over Go for Gold in the other game.

Jonathan Espeleta sizzled early and fired 19 of his 24 points in the first quarter to power the Falcons to an early 18-3 lead. They sustained their charge and posted a 69-44 late in the third quarter but the Scratchers rallied and threatened at 80-86 on a J-Jay Alejandro basket.

“We’re still in the process of experimenting,” said Akari-Adamson coach Franz Pumaren.

“We have six new guys in our team and we’re trying to make sure they all get minutes. That’s why we’re here, so that we can explore what the players are capable of doing and preparing us for the bigger leagues,” Pumaren added.

Sean Manganti finished with 14 points while Papi Sarr had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for Akari-Adamson, which improved to 2-1.

Alejandro tallied 19 points on a 5-of-7 three-point shooting and Matt Salem chipped in 15 markers, nine rebounds for the Scratchers, who fell to 1-2.

The scores:

First Game

CEU 105 – Ebondo 28, Wamar 18, Fuentes 14, Guinitaran 14, Aquino 8, Arim 6, Manlangit 6, Cruz 5, Caballero 2, Intic 2, Saber 2.

Che’Lu Bar&Grill-SSC 88 – Ilagan 19, Bulanadi 13, Faundo 12, Calisaan 11, De Leon 8, Batino 5, Capobres 5, Valdez 5, Jeruta 4,Baetiong 2, Costelo 2, David 2, Santos 0.

 Quarterscores: 25-20, 51-42, 79-67, 105-88

Second Game

Akari-Adamson 98 – Espeleta 24, Manganti 14, Lojera 13, Lastimosa 12, Ahanmisi 11, Sarr 10, Catapusan 4, Buenaventura 3, Bernardo 2, Hill 2, Macion 2, Mojica 1, Camacho 0, Longalong 0.

Go for gold 92 – Alejandro 19, Salem 15, Dixon 12, Gutang 12, Casiño 9, Domingo 6, Gaco 6, Leutcheu 6, Pasturan 3, Naboa 2, Pili 2, Young 0.