Game on November 21 – New Cebu Coliseum
5:30PM Arthro Kontra Arthritis-Cebu vs.Cebu Landmaster-Mandaue
Game Thursday (November 22) – Xavier University Gym
6:00PM Holcim Pryce Pharma-MisOr vs. Duterte Agilas-Goldstar Hardware
CEBU CITY – Arthro Kontra Arthritis-Cebu hopes to continue defying the odds in Game Two of the Visayas Division Semifinals of the 2007 Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) Second Conference against Cebu Landmaster-Mandaue on Wednesday night (November 21) at the New Cebu Coliseum.
Arthro of sports patron Jonathan “Atan” Guardo and Coach Al Solis shocked Landmaster, 81-74, in Game One last November 16 at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Center. In the said game, Arthro bucked the absence of key players Rino Berame and Michael Luga, who both traveled to Manila with the University of the Visayas varsity.
Doroteo Almacin had a monster game with 23 points and got more than enough support from fellow gunners Alex Cainglet and Mark Ababon with 16 apiece to key the win and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series and the chance to wrap it up tonight.
It is still undetermined if Berame, Luga and Coach Solis will fly back to Cebu in time for the game as their commitments in Manila have yet to be finished. That being the case, Coach Solis will have to entrust the coaching reins to his battery of assistant coaches.
Landmaster of Joe Soberano, Mayor Jonas Cortes and Coach Jun Tan faces a must-win situation in order to avoid missing the Visayas Division Finals for the first time in their history of participation in the league sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) and made possible by ML Kwarta Padala, Nature’s Spring, Sulpicio Lines, Accel, Cokaliong Shipping, Reva Sandals, Gameface.Ph and Nike Basketball. Landmaster made both Visayas finales last season. The franchise took a leave during the 2007 First Conference.
With Arthro’s frontline decimated, this will be the chance for Christian Nicdao, Mark Yee, Jan Montalbo and Rex Mangubat to flourish. While Arthro has shifted to its guards for firepower, Landmaster can counter that with veterans Mike Manigo, Bong Marata, Jimwell Torion, Aries Gloria and Aldrin Ocanada.
Both sides split their classification round assignments, with the home team winning. Arthro took the first meeting last September 24, 93-81, while Landmaster recovered to win the second meeting last October 16, 83-70.
The winner of the Landmaster-Arthro series will challenge M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu City in the best-of-three Visayas Division Finals.
Over in the Mindanao Division, Holcim Pryce Pharma-MisOr holds a 1-0 lead over the Goldstar Hardware-backed Duterte Agilas-Davao. Game Two is set for Thursday, November 22, at the Xavier University Gym.
If needed, Game Three will be the next day, still at the Xavier Gym. The winner of the MisOr-Agilas series will battle MP Warriors-GenSan in the best-of-three Mindanao Division Finals.(Anthony E. Servinio)
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