Ehroll Peredo and Ivan De Vero overwhelmed the Ataligs in the end, preventing them to catch up. IT&E’s Marlon De Dios dominated the rebounds while Jomar Tumaquip pushed in the offense.
The IT&Es pushed the extra mile in the first half, when Atalig’s Ben Lisua blocked shots from Tumaquip and De Dios.
Tom Santos joined Bon Tamayo as the two speared their way for the basket. Tamayo scored a three-pointer before giving Santos the chance for a reverse layup.
De Vero had trouble approaching the basket before making13 points in the first half. He was fouled by Atalig’s Zack Babauta in the first quarter, and again by Marlon Cabrera in the second. Peredo was the IT&Es’ star of the night, scoring 22 points for the game. De Dios’ constant rebounds gave Peredo the ball, giving the IT&Es another two points. Both players teamed up a few times to beat Atalig’s Budz Camacho and Santos for the basket.
The fourth quarter didn’t look promising to the Ataligs, who were 19 points behind. A series of fouls gave them seven points, which weren’t enough to the tie the game.
IT&E’s Mico Usi struck a three-pointer before making a jump shot four minutes later. Peredo ended with a bang after scoring six more points for IT&E. With 13 points from De Dios and 19 from De Vero, Peredo secured their semis ticket and took the Ataligs out of the equation.
Scores:
IT&E 88 – E. Peredo 22, I. De Vero 19, M. De Dios 13, M. Usi 12, J. Tumaquip12, N. Park 4, J. Montano 2, R. Usi 2, G. Lazon 2
Atalig-Atalig Associate 70 – T. Santos 19, B. Tamayo 17, B. Camacho 12, M. Capalad 10, B. Lisua 2, Z. Babauta 2, R. Nonato 2, M. Cabrera 2, B. Sablan 2
Quarterscores: 26-19, 44-30, 69-52, 88-70
