The Brothers erased their five-point deficit and led, 42-39 by the third quarter, but it was Matt Duenas and Ranjo Ferrer who sealed the match with a combined 11 points.
Fong’s Bakery jumped ahead on fast break plays to come out on top, 21-15 in the opening 10 minutes. Ferrer and Ngeskebei connected their 3’s with a couple of layups from Lawrence Rollon.
Tightened defenses from both sides allowed minimal scoring in the second quarter. The Brothers briefly outscored their opponents, 7-6.
Thanks to an early-game surge, team Fong’s still had the lead with 27 points. Ngeskebei tackled the third period alone, landing 12 points on a pair of three-pointers and three extra field goals.
Brother’s RJ Castro fired back and scored 17 of his 24 points while Joy Dayrit paired his free throw with a layup. The Brothers’ control of the court didn’t last long in the final quarter as Fongs’ Joseph Aguilar, Jaydee Duhon, and Jomer Diyco stepped in for a 10-point total.
Ferrer and Duenas tallied 10 apiece. Teammate R. Deleon Guerrero posted one point before fouling out. Ngeskebei and Castro were the game’s top scorers with 24 points each.
Scores:
Fong’s Bakery-FGC 62 – J. Ngeskebei 24, R. Ferrer 10, M. Duenas 10, J. Aguilar 5, L. Rollon 4, J. Diyco 3, J. Danipog 2, J. Duhon 2, F. Cadag 1, R. Deleon Guerrero 1
Bud’s Brother 55 – R. Castro 24, J. Dayrit 14, T. Banatasa 8, J. Lopez 3, M. Surima 3, W. Brillo 3
Quarterscores: 21-15, 27-22, 39-42, 62-55
Star 71, Pacific 61
In an earlier game, Star Water’s Erwin Gomez, Jomari Tengco, and Joseph Achas piled 49 points to down team Pacific Postal (Mekeni), 71-61.
Team Star Water stayed close behind in the first half, fending off a swift offensive from Danny Bicera and Joboy Agbanlog. Tengco had only scored three of his 15 points early in the first quarter while Gomez notched six.
Both teams rallied back and forth as Pacific Postal struggled to stretch its lead.
Tengco found his opening in the third quarter and scored eight points. Achas tallied six on a pair of three-pointers.
Pacific Postal’s Mico Usi hammered two layups with two free throws soon after.
Achas blasted a couple more three-pointers for a 16 total as he headed into the fourth quarter.
Postal’s Rick Brien, who scored two points in the first half, tried to pull the team from the gutter with six points.
Lead scorer Erwin Gomez garnered 18 overall and Tengco finished off with an easy layup before the final buzzer. Wilson Quiban and Ramon Borja squeezed in seven points each.
Scores:
Star Water 71 – E. Gomez 18, J. Achas 16, J. Tengco 15, R. Borja 7, W. Quiban 7, A. Sacramento 2, J. Pineda 2, R. Bunao 2, L. Achas 2
Pacific Postal (Mekeni) 61 – M. Usi 15, J. Agbanlog 11, J. Aque 8, R. Brien 8, D. Bicera 6, J. Lansangan 4, E. Olavera 3, A. Bautista 2, L. Layamana 2
Quarterscores: 23-21, 36-34, 46-55, 61-71
