All but one of team Mafea-Ali’i Konflikt’s players made it to the scoreboard after drilling through Cavite-Andoks, 108-88 in the open division’s semifinals at the Tan Siu Lin Sports Complex last Sunday.
The defending champions pulled all the stops in the second half, keeping their 12-point lead against Andoks’ top shooters Fred Pelisamen and Pando Muleta.
Devero drove Konflikt’s main offensive with a game high 29 points, scoring 11 alone in the final period.
It was a make-or-break situation for Andoks during the last eight minutes, but neither Pando Muleta nor Pelisamen landed the series of 3’s they were hoping for.
Their misses turned to turnovers, which Devero and Esdrelon used at their disposal. Jawn Joyner, who scored eight points earlier, scored no baskets in the fourth quarter but used his size to claim the rebound.
Esdrelon blasted his final three-pointer after two free throws from Devero and scored Konflikt’s 100th point off a jump shot against Tim Wesley.
According to manager Norman Del Rosario, the victory was all in the “game plan.”
“We defended their main guys well and we played as one unit. Everyone was on the same page,” he said in an email.
Andoks’ lead scorer Fred Pelisamen ushered in eight of his 28 points after hustling past Junar Guiab and Jomar Tumaquip. Muleta settled for 11 points and scored only four from the second half. Jon Artates also came out empty, shutting down Andoks’ hopes for a late-game turnaround.
Konflikt’s biggest challenge lies ahead in tonight’s championship game against the dominant Namfrel-Proa.
“We are really happy that we were able to go back to the finals knowing that this year’s UFO season is the toughest because it’s an open league,” said Del Rosario.
“We had a very rocky start during the regular season, finishing with four wins and four losses. We worked hard as a team to climb this steep mountain and we are finally down to the last game.”
Esdrelon tallied 18 points overall and Brandon Talania scored 12 while Badong Camacho and Jomar Tumaquip earned nine each.
Proa advanced to the finals last Thursday after defeating Bayani-Mobil, 110-105.
Scores:
Mafea-Ali’i Konflikt 108 – I. Devero 29, E. Esdrelon 18, B. Talania 12, J. Tumaquip 9, B. Camacho 9, J. Barrios 8, J. Joyner 8, B. Aquino 5, E. Mendoza 4, G. Cruz 4, J. Guiab 2
Cavite-Andoks 88 – F. Pelisamen 28, J. Artates 12, P. Muleta 11, P. Camacho 10, T. Wesley 9, M. Olaitiman 6, J. Llagas 4, J. Dayrit 3, M. Umali 3
Quarterscores: 24-22, 41-53, 65-77, 88-108
