The 45’s had the upper hand in the first quarter with Tony Lizama pushing for 14 points. Cornered by Taga’s Addnis Macoto and Sonny Ebuen, Lizama passed the ball to teammate Bruce Berline for a jump shot.
Slowly but surely, the Tagas climbed their way in the scores. Macoto tallied eight more points while Ebuen dashed for two successful lay ups.
Meanwhile, Ed Cosino kept the 45’s alive with his free throws. Penetrating the Tagas’ defense caused Cosino to lose the ball twice. His last basket drove the 45’s for a one point lead, followed by another shot from Felix Palacios.
The Tagas had their chance in the second half as their foes struggled for ball control. Both Criz Valdez and Rey Culala joined Ebuen on the court, along with Pastor Noel Puno. Despite missing the basket, Arman Anasan added two points to Taga from his free throws.
Worn out from the first half, the 45’s gradually lost their lead. Even Cosino’s three-pointer couldn’t match up to Ebuen and Russel Dequito’s jumpers. Macoto was the game’s top scorer with 22 points.
Scores:
Taga Security 66 – A. Macoto 22, S. Ebuen 17, P. Puno 4, A. Anasan 4, R. Dequito 4, B. Bucalig 4, R. Morales 3, C. Valdez 2, R. Culala 2
Top 45’s 61 – E. Cosino 18, T. Lizama 17, B. Berline 13, J. Diaz 8, F. Palacios 4, R. Takai 1
Quarterscores: 13-22, 31-34, 48-47, 66-61
House 95, Islander 77
Meanwhile, the House trampled team Islander Rent A Car 95-77 with more than half their points coming from Tony Diaz and George Masga. Both players started and ended strong, with the former piling 35 points and the other earning 20.
The Islanders failed to keep up since the start as Lilio Tiples and Ray Darag struggled for two points each.
The ball remained in control of House’s Jun Abedes and Diaz, who carried their assault into the second quarter. Diaz seemed unstoppable at first, scoring two successive lay ups with a clean three-pointer. Pulling 17 points in the first half, he made his way through the third quarter with 14 more.
Constant substitutions kept the Islanders refreshed on the defense, despite falling behind 15 points. A strong 78-55 lead by the House nearly secured them the game. Nonetheless, Masga added eight more points in the third quarter. Helping him in the offense was Joe Tudela, who tallied 10 points.
Scores:
The House 95 – T. Diaz 35, G. Masga 20, J. Abedes 14, J. Tudela 10, B. Berline 7, F. Palacios 6, E. Pineda 3
Islander Rent A Car 77 – J. Palacios 15, J. Stoll 15, M. Surima 9, W. Villegas 8, R. Darag 6, G. Villarin 6, M. Dionisio 6, L. Tiples 4, C. Calvo 4, D. Pacheco 2, J. Lopez 2
Quarterscores: 22-14, 48-33, 78-55, 95-77
