Cebu wallops host MP Warriors, 76-65

  GENERAL SANTOS City – Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue grabbed its third weekly championship by walloping the host MP Warriors of GenSan, 76-65, at the close of the General Santos City Leg of the SMC Liga PilipinasConference V at the GMP Sports Complex Saturday night.  More importantly, the team of Joe Soberano and Rick King is already assured of topping the overall standings with one more pocket tournament to be played next week in Cagayan de Oro City.

     Guard Ariel Capus put up a scorching shooting display in the fourth period as Mandaue turned the once-tight game wide open via his three triples and near-flawless shooting clip.  Mark Magsumbol and Marlon Basco also provided timely baskets that kept the MP Warriors in check.

     Capus finished with 27 points on 11 of 14 shooting plus eight rebounds.  Magsumbol supported him with 14 and Basco with 12.  Louie Medalla paced the Warriors with 13 markers followed by Jonathan Parreno with nine.

     For his good play when it mattered most, Capus was named as the week’s Most Valuable Player.  The former Jose Rizal University Bomber dedicated the award to his family, calling them his inspiration to do his best all the time.

     Mandaue coach Jun Tan also became the sixth coach in Liga history to garner three or more weekly titles.  The list includes Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, Jun Noel, Nomar Isla, Oliver Bunyi and Bing Victoria.

     Meanwhile, the Ilocos Sur CS Tigers of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson and Coach Johnedel Cardel ended their sojourn on a positive note by copping Third Place at the expense of the Laguna Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and CoachPhilip Cezar, 82-79.

     The CS Tigers picked up three points and finished the Tour Phase with a total of 15, a point better than the MP Warriors.  However, the Warriors will still see action this week thus putting the Tigers’ hopes in jeopardy.  The Golden Lions are secured for the Super Leg with 19 points, good for Third Place in the current overall standings.

     Ariel de Castro led the Tigers with 18 points and Chito Jaime added 11 as the duo made a living off the 11 assists of Warren Ybanez.  Glenn Bolocon set a new conference standard of 30 points and EJ Feihl played his best game yet with 14 points and eight rebounds but their efforts went to naught.

     The Misamis Oriental Meteors and Gov. Oscar S. Moreno will host the sixth and final leg starting Wednesday at the Xavier University Gym as they tangle with Mandaue, GenSan and the defending National Champion M. LhuillierKwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos.  Liga Pilipinas is generously supported by San Miguel, Molten, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Accel.

How They Scored:

For Third Place

     ILOCOS SUR (82) – de Castro 18, Jaime 11, Canizares 10, Williams 8, Sanders 7, Gonzalez 7, Aguilar 7, Ybanez 6, Vizcarra 4, Taylor 2, Palaganas 2, Zablan 0, Junio 0, Santos 0.

     LAGUNA (79) – Bolocon 30, Feihl 14, Sanz 13, Saguindel 4, Fampulme 4, Mercado 4, Glorioso 3, Legaspi 3, Ricafuente 2, Asoro 2, Flores 0.

     Period Scores: 20-22, 45-40, 64-55, 82-79.

Championship

     MANDAUE (76) – Capus 27, Marlon Basco 14, Magsumbol 12, Doruelo 6, Dedicatoria 6, Sta. Cruz 5, Mondragon 4, Guiyab 2, Losentes 0, Villaver 0.

     GENERAL SANTOS (65) – Medalla 13, Parreno 9, Nicdao 7, Musni 7, Sagad 7, Mendoza 7, Alfad 6, Cordero 4, Pacquiao 2, Angeles 2, Callo 1, Bucao 0.

      Period Scores: 24-21, 35-33, 52-53, 76-65.PR

Hosts becomes 1st team to win 2nd weekly leg crown

MANDAUE CITY – Hosts Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue became the first team to win a second weekly leg championship at the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V Saturday by edging the Misamis Oriental Meteors, 84-80, at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

Trailing by three entering the final period, 53-56, Mandaue leaned on a six-point explosion by Jan Villaver to grab the upper hand for good, 59-56. Villaver was not finished as he added five more and Mark Magsumbol shot steadily from the free throw stripe to erect Mandaue's biggest lead, 74-67.

With no less than team owner Gov. Oscar S. Moreno in attendance, the Meteors clawed back behind Egay Billones whose four points put them at their closest, 73-76, and 1:35 to play. However, Mandaue quicky countered with a Leo Losentes triple, 79-73.

Villaver gave the home fans anxious moments as he missed two free throws at the 17-second mark, which was followed by a Neil Raneses triple that allowed the Meteors to threaten for the last time, 80-83. Magsumbol fittingly placed a cap on the win with a free throw with four ticks on the clock that made it a two-possession game, 84-80.

Magsumbol and Villaver shared scoring honors for the champions of Joe Soberano and Rick King with 16 points each. Billones topped the Meteors of Coach Jun Noel with 17 followed by Ken Bono and Lyndon Gudez with 13 apiece.

For the second time, Magsumbol was named as the week's Most Valuable Player after leading the team with an average of 14.0 points. “We are happy that we were able to defend our home court considering this is probably the toughest leg this conference,” said Coach Tan.

Meanwhile, the Laguna Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Philip Cezar ended their trip on a positive note by mangling the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos in the battle for Third Place, 68-56. This marks the first time in Liga history that the three-time National Champion Ninos of Michel J. Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba finished in last place in a weekly leg.

Bryan Faundo dominated the M. Lhuillier bigs with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Cebuanos Glenn Bolocon and Earn Saguindel also played well for the Lions with a combined 24 markers. Nat Cruz and Bruce Dacia paced the Ninos with 13 points each.

Because of their victory, Mandaue vaulted to the top of the overall points standings with 27 points. The Ninos dropped to second with 24 points followed by the Meteors with 18 and the Golden Lions with 17. The Ilocos Sur CS Tigers and MP Warriors of GenSan occupy the last two spots with 11 and seven respectively.

Liga Pilipinas action takes a break this week and resumes on June 22 with the MP Warriors being visited by Mandaue, Golden Lions and CS Tigers. The games of Liga Pilipinas are made possible by San Miguel, Molten, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Accel.

How They Scored:

For Third Place

LAGUNA (68) – Faundo 14, Bolocon 14, Saguindel 10, Fampulme 6, Mercado 6, Glorioso 4, Legaspi 4, Bautista 3, Sanz 2, Flores 2, Athie 2, Lingal 1, Ricafuente 0, Feihl 0.

M. LHUILLIER-CEBU (56) – Cruz 13, Dacia 13, Raymundo 7, Lusdoc 7, Nailon 6, Baguion 3, Belano 3, Ababon 2, Santos 2.

Period Scores: 16-12, 31-24, 53-40, 68-56.

Championship

MANDAUE (84) – Magsumbol 16, Villaver 16, Losentes 11, Guiyab 9, Sta. Cruz 8, Doruelo 8, Mondragon 6, Marlon Basco 5, Capus 5, Dedicatoria 0.

MISAMIS ORIENTAL (80) – Billones 17, Bono 13, Gudez 13, Daa 12, Raneses 11, Misa 5, Lamocha 4, Salangsang 4, Poligrates 1, Capati 0, Lucernas 0.

Period Scores: 16-15, 37-38, 53-56, 84-80.PR

Misamis Oriental books c'ship spot

STANDINGS

Misamis Oriental Meteors 2-0

Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue 1-1

M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos 1-1

Laguna Golden Lions 0-2

Games Today (June 11) – Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Center

4:00 PM Battle for Third Place

6:00 PM Championship Game

     MANDAUE CITY – The Misamis Oriental Meteors booked a spot in today’s championship game by handing host Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue their first defeat of the conference, 59-56, in continuing action from the Mandaue City Leg of the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V Thursday at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Center.

     Leading throughout the entire ballgame, the Meteors of Gov. Oscar S. Moreno and Coach Jun Noel kept enough strength to hold off Mandaue’s late surge and improve to 2-0. They will play the winner of last night’s clash between the defending National Champion M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos.

     Egay Billones led the Meteors with 12 points and six rebounds in the low-scoring contest.  Allan Salangsang followed with nine points.  Mandaue, which won its first five outings, was paced by Mark Magsumbol with 15 markers while Marlon Basco chipped in 13 on top of six rebounds.

     In the first game, the Ninos of Michel J. Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba manhandled the Laguna Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Philip Cezar to keep their title hopes alive, 77-61.  The Golden Lions remained winless in two starts in the tournament supported by San Miguel, Molten, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Accel.

     The Ninos opened the tussle with an 8-0 run that caught the Golden Lions flatfooted.  It was all M. Lhuillier from their, save for a brief span midway in the first period wherein they temporarily ceded the advantage.

     Ferdinand Lusdoc powered the rout with 15 points and six rebounds while Felix Belano knocked in 14 more points.  Boyet Bautista was the Golden Lions’ top scorer with 16 followed by Robert Sanz with 11.

How They Scored:

First Game

     M. LHUILLIER-CEBU (77) – Lusdoc 15, Belano 14, Abadia 10, Raymundo 10, Padilla 5, Cruz 5, Dacia 5, Baguion 5, Saladaga 4, Santos 4, Nailon 0, Ababon 0.

     LAGUNA (61) – Bautista 16, Sanz 11, Bolocon 10, Fampulme 8, Flores 6, Glorioso 4, Saguindel 2, Ricafuente 2, Feihl 2, Faundo 0, Mercado 0, Legaspi 0, Athie 0.

     Period Scores: 19-17, 39-33, 66-47, 77-61.

Second Game

     MISAMIS ORIENTAL (59) – Billones 12, Salangsang 9, Capati 8, Daa 6, Lamocha 6, Bono 5, Misa 4, Raneses 4, Poligrates 3, Lucernas 2, Gudez 0.

     MANDAUE (56) – Magsumbol 15, Marlon Basco 13, Mondragon 6, Losentes 6, Villaver 5, Doruelo 4, Capus 3, Sta. Cruz 2, Dedicatoria 2, Villanil 0, Guiyab 0.

     Period Scores: 18-9, 28-24, 46-39, 59-56.PR

LIGA FRONTRUNNERS CLASH AT MANDAUE LEG

POINTS STANDINGS (Win-Loss)

M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos (6-2) 22 points

Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue (4-0) 15

Laguna Golden Lions (3-5) 13

Misamis Oriental Meteors (4-4) 11

Ilocos Sur CS Tigers (4-8) 11

MP Warriors of GenSan (3-5) 7

LIGA FRONTRUNNERS CLASH AT MANDAUE LEG

     MANDAUE CITY – Four teams at the top of the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V overall points standings try to pull away further from the rest of the field as hosts Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue stake their undefeated record against fellow frontrunners M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos, Misamis Oriental Meteors and Laguna Golden Lions at the start of Mandaue City Leg today (June 8) at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

     Mandaue hopes to prove that their four-game sweep of the Cebu City Leg last May 21 was no fluke.  The team of Joe Soberano and Coach Jun Tan are still on a high after annexing the franchise’s first ever Liga trophy.

     Waiting for their turn at redemption are the Ninos of Michel J. Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba who absorbed back-to-back setbacks at home at the Cebu Coliseum to Mandaue, a team loaded with former Ninos led by Cebu City Leg Most Valuable Player Mark Magsumbol and Ariel Capus.

     The Ninos are pacing the six-team field with a total of 22 points from two legs.  Ilocos Sur Leg MVP Jayford Rodriguez (13.1 PPG) and Ian Saladaga (10.0 PPG) are the defending National Champions’ 1-2 scoring punch.

     While Mandaue and Cebu duke it out, the Meteors and Golden Lions also have some issues to settle on the court after the Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and newly-appointed coach Philip Cezarsuccessfully defended their home turf at the San Luis Sports Complex in taking the Laguna Leg over the Meteors, 94-92, last May 28.

     Cebu-born Glenn Bolocon was named as the MVP of the Laguna Leg and is their leading scorer with 16.6 points per game.  Center Bryan Faundo, who suddenly has become a threat on offense, follows with 12.6 PPG.

     Meanwhile, the Meteors of Gov. Oscar S. Moreno and Coach Jun Noel will bank on flashy guard Egay Billones who marked his Liga debut by immediately assuming the league’s scoring leadership at 16.8 PPG.  Billones is expected to draw a lot of help of Lyndon Gudez and Dino Daa.

     All four teams will play a single round robin with the two teams with the best records slugging it out for the weekly championship in a one-game playoff this coming Saturday.  After Mandaue City, the conference’s last two legs will be held in the cities of General Santos and Cagayan de Oro and will be immediately followed by the playoffs.

     The games of Liga Pilipinas are made possible by San Miguel, Molten, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Accel.  Drawing a bye this week are the Ilocos Sur CS Tigers and the MP Warriors of GenSan.PR

Cebu Ninos win over Ilocos Sur CS Tigers

TEAM STANDINGS
M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos 1-0
Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue 1-0
Misamis Oriental Meteors 0-1
Ilocos Sur CS Tigers 0-1

CEBU NINOS WIN OVER ILOC SUR CS TIGERS

Games on May 20 – Cebu Coliseum
4:00 PM Misamis Oriental Meteors vs. Ilocos Sur CS Tigers
6:00 PM Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue vs. M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos

     CEBU CITY – Defending National Champion M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos continued its dominance of the visiting Ilocos Sur CS Tigers, 78-65, on opening day of the Cebu City Leg of the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V Wednesday at the Cebu Coliseum.

     After beating the CS Tigers of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson and Coach Johnedel Cardel twice en route to the championship of the Ilocos Sur Leg two weeks ago, the Ninos of Michel J. Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba turned anew to Ilocos Sur MVP Jayford Rodriguez and Ian Saladaga to power a 12-3 run late in the second period that shattered a 26-26 deadlock and the hosts never looked back.  M. Lhuillier easily took the half, 41-33.

     Nat Cruz, who once played for Ilocos Sur in Conference II when they were still called the Bravehearts, pumped in 10 of his team-best 15 markers in the second half to thwart the CS Tigers’ repeated attempts to rally.  Cruz also hauled nine rebounds.

     Rodriguez and Saladaga both finished with 13 points each.  New recruit Jorel Canizares made an instant impact in his Ilocos Sur debut by firing 22 points but lacked support from his teammates.  Chito Jaime and Ariel de Castro followed Canizares with 13 and 12 markers respectively.  The rest of CS Tigers combined for 18 points.

     In the first game, the new-look Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue of Joe Soberano and Coach Jun Tan sent out shockwaves by tripping the favored Misamis Oriental Meteors of Gov. Oscar S. Moreno and Coach Jun Noel, 67-60.

     After battling through eight deadlocks and 11 lead changes, Harold Sta. Cruz and Hafer Mondragon hit back-to-back baskets that gave Mandaue the lead for good late in the second period, 30-29.  The duo continued their show in the third period as they pushed Mandaue to their biggest lead of the game, 45-34, on a field goal from Conference I MVP Marlon Basco.

     Floyd Dedicatoria and Jan Villaver then combined with Sta. Cruz to continuously frustrate the Meteors with timely baskets.  Axel Doruelo sank a triple for a 64-56 cushion and Ariel Capus tossed in three more free throws to preserve the victory.

     Sta. Cruz topped Mandaue with 13 points on top of seven rebounds.  Mark Magsumbol also had 13 points, 12 coming in the first half.  Patrick Cabahug paced the Meteors with 15 points but none of his teammates managed to produce double digits.

How They Scored:

First Game

     MANDAUE (67) – Magsumbol 13, Sta. Cruz 13, Mondragon 8, Dedicatoria 8, Villaver 7, Capus 7, Marlon Basco 6, Doruelo 3, Guiyab 2, Villanil 0, Gabica 0.

     MISAMIS ORIENTAL (60) – Cabahug 15, Raneses 8, Lamocha 7, Capati 6, Daa 6, Salangsang 5, Gudez 4, Villariza 3, Misa 2, Saldua 2, Bono 2, Andaya 0, Tagupa 0, Lucernas 0.

     Period Scores: 18-18, 34-31, 47-43, 67-60.

Second Game

     M. LHUILLIER-CEBU (78) – Cruz 15, Rodriguez 13, Saladaga 13, Padilla 11, Abadia 8, Santos 6, Nailon 5, Belano 5, Baguion 2, Ababon 0, Dacia 0, Raymundo 0, Lusdoc 0.

     ILOCOS SUR (65) – Canizares 22, Jaime 13, de Castro 12, Ybanez 4, Palaganas 4, Cacha 3, Vizcarra 3, Agacer 2, Williams 2, Gali 0, Junio 0, Santos 0, E. Sta. Maria 0.

     Period Scores: 22-15, 41-33, 62-50, 63-78.PR