The Tan Siu Lin Sports Complex was rocking as both teams had their fans at the edge of their seats as they watched their teams duke it out in what turned out to be a tennis match affair with both teams going back and forth with the lead.
Noni had the game under control after two quarters, leading the Hoopaholics, 34-29, by balancing their scoring attack, playing solid defense, and limiting the Hoopaholics’ second chance opportunities.
But halftime did Noni no good as the intermission doused their hot play and gave the lead to the Hoopaholics, courtesy of the latter’s 23 points, eight of which coming from Dave Sablan.
The Hoopaholics then broke the game open with their suffocating full court traps, which led to easy fastbreak layups, causing Noni to call timeouts throughout the final period.
But that was to no avail as Sablan was killing Noni with ten in the fourth.
He also received help from his teammates as they held their opponents scoreless in the final stretch of the game.
The Noni players were also digging their own graves with countless pesky turnovers and low-percentage shots.
Scores:
UPAA-Docomo Hoopaholics 81 – D. Sablan 23, J. Sablan 19, Villacrusis 10, Lee 8, Fitial 7, Mendez 2, Manibusan 2, Palacios 2
Cabalen-Noni 65 – Basila 12, Bernardo 10, Pagarao 8, Tamayo 7, Yabut 7, Demapan 6, Abuel 4, Pantaleon 3, David 2
Quarter scores: 13-15, 29-34, 52-48, 81-65
Bayani-Mobil 85, MDX-Blue Haus 82
After being outscored and outplayed in the first three quarters, Bayani-Mobil was determined to leave everything on the court heading into the final quarter.
They did and came out victorious after stealing one from MDX-Blue Haus with a score of 85-82.
Mobil’s prolific player Jun Estolas scored a game-high 30 big ones as he helped his team grab a share of the league lead with VisMinda-Satbahi.
Mobil had a slow start, scoring only nine in the first period with only a pair of two-pointers, a triple, and three free throws.
They picked it up in the second quarter, scoring 23, but still trailed MDX, 37-32, heading into the halfway break.
After recess, MDX did their best to calm down Mobil’s attempt at a comeback, at the time, with 24 markers.
But Mobil broke out of its dismal showing in the first thirty minutes with an impressive 33-point quarter to seal the victory.
While Estolas bucketed 30 good ones, his teammates Pete Lizama and Ron Gamboa chipped in 12 each.
MDX had Alex Lauron scoring 22, Zack Babauta posting 16, and Dexter Tenorio making 15 in the their team’s disappointing loss.
Scores:
Bayani-Mobil 85 – Estolas 30, Lizama 12, Gamboa 12, Ruluked 6, De Guzman 6, Sharry 6, Gapor 2, Moises 2, Factor 1
MDX-Blue Haus 82 – Lauron 22, Babauta 16, Tenorio 15, Johanes 10, Z. Diaz 8, Lisua 8, Palacios 3
Quarter scores: 9-13, 32-37, 52-61, 85-82
