FilOil: Sweet Sweep For the Red Lions!

San Beda College Red Lions: Undefeated champions of the 11th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup

     SAN JUAN City – San Beda College completed a clean sweep of the 11^th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup by slipping past defending champion De La Salle University, 75-72, in the one-game championship Sunday (June 25) at the FilOil Flying V Arena.  The Red Lions won all their games, including an 82-80 thumping of the Green Archers in the elimination round last May 28.

Firing blanks all game long, AC Soberano scored when it mattered the most as he tied the game with a triple with a minute to play, 72-72.  DLSU suddenly could not buy a basket and Robert Bolick delivered the killer blow – a triple with eight seconds on the clock for the final tally as Benoit Mbala launched an awkward triple that went nowhere to seal their fate.

DLSU looked headed for a fairy tale finish as Ricci Rivero and Leonard Santillan scored back-to-back field goals and Aljun Melecio banged in a triple for seven straight points and a 72-69 lead with 1:38 to play.  Before that, the Red Lions surged ahead on big plays from Bolick, Davon Potts and super substitutes Clint Doliguez and Kenmark Carino, 69-65, at the three-minute mark.

There was no denying Bolick who had another superlative output of 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists.  Javee Mocon battle the Green Archer big men for 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Mbala, who was earlier named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Best Defensive Player and Mythical Five member validated his status with 25 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks but it was not enough to translate into a championship.  Melecio followed with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Seniors Mythical Five: MVP Mbala, Bolick, Perez, Mocon and Rivero.

Mbala was joined in the Mythical Five by teammate Ricci Rivero, Mocon, Bolick and CJ Perez of Lyceum of the Philippines University.  Perez had 14 points and seven rebounds as he steered the Pirates over Jose Rizal University in the battle for Third Place, 82-75.

How They Scored:

For Third Place

LYCEUM (82) – Perez 14, Nzeusseu 12, JC Marcelino 11, Ayaay 11, Pretta 9, Tansingco 7, Baltazar 6, JV Marcelino 5, Ibanez 3, Caduyac 3, Liwag 1, Cinco 0, Marata 0.

JOSE RIZAL (75) – Grospe 17, de la Virgen 14, Abdulwahab 11, Poutouochi 8, Mendoza 8, Teodoro 5, Lasquety 4, Bordon 3, Castor 3, David 2, Mate 0.

Period Scores: 17-12, 41-34, 61-55, 82-75.

Championship

SAN BEDA (75) – Bolick 24, J. Mocon 13, Doliguez 8, Presbitero 7, Potts 7, Soberano 6, Carino 0, Adamos 2, Noah 2, Tongco 0, Bahio 0, Abuda 0, Eugene 0.

DE LA SALLE (72) – Mbala 25, Melecio 14, Santillan 12, R. Rivero 11, Caracut 5, Tratter 2, Baltazar 2, Tero 1, Go 0, Gonzales 0.

Period Scores: 16-19, 35-36, 51-55, 75-72.

FilOil: Red Robins 2017 Juniors Champions!

Malayan High School of Science: 11th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup Champions

     SAN JUAN City – Malayan High School of Science was crowned the champions of the 11^th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup Juniors Division after frustrating Ateneo de Manila University, 89-82, Sunday (June 25) at the FilOil Flying V Arena.  The victorious Red Robins unleashed a flurry of triples in a searing fourth rally and they held on down the stretch to preserve the win.

Clint Escamis and Joaquin Garcia starting connecting from long range as they overturned their 59-62 deficit at the end of the third period.  The Blue Eagles would threaten for the last time via two free throws from Kai Sotto at the 1:04 mark, 78-82, but this was quickly snuffed by a dagger triple from Brian Lacap to up Malayan’s advantage to seven and 46 ticks to play, 85-78.

“It’s only one game so the boys gave it their all,” said Coach Randy Alcantara.  “This win is very good for our title defense in the NCAA next month but I know all other teams have strengthened their line-ups so we have to work doubly hard now.”

Escamis starred for the Red Robins with 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals.  He was supported by Warren Bonifacio with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Dave Ildefonso paced Ateneo with 16 points and eight rebounds.  Sotto still ended up with monster numbers of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Earlier in the day, Nazareth School of National University salvaged Third Place by thwarting University of Santo Tomas thanks to a superior second half performance.  Rhayyan Amsali led the Bullpups with 30 points and 14 rebounds.

The Best Juniors of 2017: Hernandez, Belangel, MVP Gozum, Credo and Ildefonso.

For his consistent play throughout the tournament, Malayan’s Will Gozum was named as the Most Valuable, Best Defensive Player and member of the Mythical Five.  Joining him in the Mythical Five were Paolo Hernandez of UST and the Ateneo trio of SJ Belangel, Dave Ildefonso and Jason Credo.

How They Scored:

For Third Place

NAZARETH-NU (86) – Amsali 30, Coyoca 16, Javillonar 14, Fortea 6, Gonzales 4, Puray 4, Pangilinan 2, Minerva 2, Malonzo 2, Manalang 2, Pradella 2, Lantaya 2, Felicilda 0, Gayola 0.

SANTO TOMAS (75) – Hernandez 14, Benzonan 12, Balingit 11, Lina 8, Narvasa 8, T. de la Cruz 8, Biag 5, Palencia 3, Dolendo 2, Manabat 2, Co 2, Anunciacion 0.

Period Scores: 25-22, 40-47, 62-58, 86-75.

Championship

MALAYAN SCIENCE (89) – Escamis 23, Bonifacio 18, Gozum 17, Garcia 14, Lacap 9, Enriquez 4, Jabel 4, Ramos 0, Dennison 0.

ATENEO DE MANILA (82) – Ildefonso 16, Sotto 15, Manuel 13, Belangel 9, Jaymalin 9, Chiu 5, Credo 4, Gusi 4, David 3, Escalona 2, Angeles 2, Tanedo 0.

Period Scores: 16-19, 41-43, 59-62, 89-82.

FilOil: DLSU d. Lyceum, 100-99

     SAN JUAN City – Defending champion De La Salle University survived the hard challenge of Lyceum of the Philippines University, 100-99, and advance to the championship game of the 11^th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup Friday (June 23) at the FilOil Flying V Centre.  Waiting for the Green Archers in the finale to be played on Sunday (June 25) is undefeated San Beda College.

Rookie Leonard Santillan completed a three-point play with 10 seconds left for the marginal points.  From there, the Pirates bungled their two chances to scores starting with an errant pass by Reymar Caduyac to Mike Harry Nzeusseu.

Earlier, Caduyac almost became the game hero as he scored the go-ahead basket at the 35-second mark, 99-97.  Nzeusseu had just tied the game in the previous sequence on a three-point play off Benoit Mbala, 97-97, capping their climb from seven points down entering the last two minutes.

What appeared to be shaping up as a walk in the park for the Green Archers suddenly turned into a battle as Lyceum’s three-point shooters Wilson Baltazar and Ralph Tansingco began to click to complement the all-around game of team leader CJ Perez.  Timely hits from Aljun Melecio, Ricci Rivero and Mbala maintained the Green Archers’ distance until the late fourth period rally by the Pirates.

Melecio led all scorers with 30 points and four steals.  Rivero added 27 and Mbala 26 on top of 16 rebounds and three blocks in an awesome display of firepower.

Perez paced the Pirates with 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.  Baltazar was next with 19 points from four triples while Tansingco had 15, all from the three-point arc.

The championship game between the Green Archers and Red Lions will commence at 4:00 PM with live streaming at www.filoilflyingvsportstv.online.  Jose Rizal University and Lyceum will play for Third Place at 2:00 PM.

How They Scored:

DE LA SALLE (100) – Melecio 30, R. Rivero 27, Mbala 26, Santillan 9, Caracut 4, Baltazar 2, Tero 2, Tratter 0, Go 0.

LYCEUM (99) – Perez 24, Baltazar 19, Tansingco 15,  Ayaay 13, Nzeusseu 7, Caduyac 6, Pretta 5, JC Marcelino 5, JV Marcelino 4, Ibanez 1, Cinco 0, Liwag 0.

Period Scores: 23-15, 45-47, 77-73, 100-99.

FilOil: San Beda d. Jose Rizal, 80-64

     SAN JUAN City – San Beda College claimed the first spot in the championship game of the 11^th FilOIl Flying V Premier Cup by waylaying Jose Rizal University, 80-64, in semifinal action Friday (June 23) at the FilOil Flying V Centre.  The Red Lions buckled down to work in the latter three periods to atone for their poor start with superb efforts from Robert Bolick and Arnaud Noah for their 10^th win in a row.

The Heavy Bombers started strong by taking the first period, 17-12.  Suddenly, San Beda unleashed a 16-2 run to begin the second period to grab the lead for good, 28-19, on Noah’s drive.

The best that JRU could do was trim the deficit to only four after seven unanswered points, 44-48, in the third but the Red Lions countered with a triple by AC Soberano and baskets by Kenmark Carino and Noah to stay ahead entering the fourth, 56-47.

Bolick led the Red Lions with 22 and six assists.  Noah came off the bench to add 16 points and six rebounds.

Ervin Grospe topped the Heavy Bombers with 17 points, 10 coming in the fourth period.  Abdoul Poutouochi was next with 12 points and seven rebounds while leading scorer Bernabe Teodoro was held scoreless in the fourth period finishing with only nine points.

San Beda will now await the winner of the other semifinal between Lyceum of the Philippines University and defending champion De La Salle University.  JRU will play the loser of that game for Third Place.

How They Scored:

SAN BEDA (80) – Bolick 22, Noah 16, Soberano 14, Carino 7, Doliguez 6, J. Mocon 5, Adamos 4, Presbitero 3, Potts 3, Tongco 0, Bahio 0, Abuda 0, Eugene 0.

JOSE RIZAL (64) – Grospe 17, Poutouochi 12, de la Virgen 10, Teodoro 9, Mendoza 7, Abdulwahab 5, Lasquety 2, Mate 2, Bordon 0, Mariano 0, Sawat 0.

Period Scores: 12-17, 33-29, 56-47, 80-64.

FilOil: June 23 Juniors Roundup

     SAN JUAN City – Malayan High School of Science and Ateneo de Manila University will tangle for the 11^th FilOil Flying V Premier Cup after they eliminated their respective opponents Friday afternoon (June 23) at the FilOil Flying V Centre.  The championship game will be played this Sunday (June 25) at the same venue.

The Red Robins defeated Nazareth School of National University, 72-67, to earn the first seat.  The Blue Eaglets then made short work of University of Santo Tomas, 79-67, to formalize the matchup.

Will Gozum led Malayan with 19 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.  He was backed up by Brian Lacap with 16 points and eight rebounds.

“It was tough because three of our players – Kai Sotto, Dave Ildefonso and SJ Belangel – took time off to train in the United States so it affected our chemistry,” said ADMU coach Joe Silva.  “On the positive side, it allowed us to strengthen our bench while they were away and the bench stepped up today.”

Belangel topped the Blue Eaglets with 20 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Ildefonso followed with a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.

How They Scored:

First Game

MALAYAN SCIENCE (72) – Gozum 19, Lacap 16, Garcia 12, Bonifacio 9, Escamis 9, Sarmiento 4, Jabel 3, Ramos 0, Enriquez 0, Dennison 0, Archies 0, Malaluan 0.

NAZARETH-NU (67) – Gonzales 17, Manalang 16, Coyuca 9, Amsali 6, Minerva 4, Malonzo 4, Puray 4, Fortea 3, Felicilda 2, Pangilinan 1, Javillonar 1, Pradella 0, Gayola 0.

Period Scores: 13-15, 40-31, 58-50, 72-67.

Second Game

ATENEO DE MANILA (79) – Belangel 20, Credo 13, Ildefonso 13, Manuel 7, Angeles 7, Sotto 5, Chiu 5, Escalona 4, Jaymalin 3, Fetalvero 1, Sahali 1, Lopa 0, Tanedo 0, Gusi 0.

SANTO TOMAS (67) – Palencia 17, Balingit 14, Hernandez 13, T. de la Cruz 5, Lina 4, Benzonan 3, Manabat 3, Narvasa 2, Dolendo 2, Co 2, Biag 0, Anunciacion 0.

Period Scores: 19-28, 33-38, 49-49, 79-67.

D-League: CEU d. Zark’s Burger, 78-62

     PASIG CITY – Centro Escolar University is now a two-game winning run after they mastered Zark’s Burger, 78-62, at the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena Thursday evening (June 22). The Scorpions successfully followed up their 72-70 triumph over Batangas last June 15.

“I told the team that they cannot match shots and run with Zark’s veterans so we simplified our game in the second half and we sought to limit their scorers,” said Coach Yong Garcia.  “We just want to continue improving every game and this starts with our practices.”

CEU did exactly what their coach feared but still clung to a 27-22 lead after the first period.  Employing the defensive adjustments discussed at halftime, the Scorpions limited the Jawbreakers to only eight markers in the third period and it was smooth sailing hence.

Rodrigue Ebondo continued his domination with 23 points and 21 rebounds for CEU. He was ably backed up by Christian Uri and JK Casino with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Clark Bautista fired a team-high 16 points for Zark’s.  However, the usually prolific Robby Celiz was limited to only 10 points going scoreless in the first half, a big factor for his team’s struggles resulting in their fourth loss in five games.

How They Scored:

CENTRO ESCOLAR (78) – Ebondo 23, Uri 11, Casino 10, Wamar 9, Manlangit 6, Jeruta 4, Arim 4, Guinitaran 4, Cruz 3, Galinato 2, Saber 2, Aquino 0, Intic 0.

ZARK’S BURGER (62) – Bautista 16, Celiz 10, Mangahas 9, Nalos 7, Cudal 7, de Leon 6, Argamino 3, Sheriff 2, Ferrer 0, Juruena 0.

Period Scores: 27-22, 41-36, 59-44, 78-52.

D-League: Batangas d. AMA, 95-76

     PASIG CITY – After suffering their first loss, Batangas returned to the winning track of the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup by spanking AMA Online Education, 95-76, at the Ynares Sports Arena Thursday (June 22).  The win enabled the Batanguenos to move to solo Second Place in the 11-team field with a 3-1 win-loss record.

AMA was only in the thick of the fight for only the opening sequences.  Starting guard Earvin Mendoza then fired a triple to start a 10-0 run that gave Batangas the lead for good, 12-4, and there was no turning back.

Jerald Bautista, Cedric Ablaza and Joseph Sedurifa then took turns at leading the Batangas offensive, with the lead eventually ballooning to its largest midway in the fourth period, 81-59.  By then, Coach Eric Gonzalez had the luxury of giving his role players more minutes.

“We are just reaping the investments from the last conference,” said Coach Gonzalez.  “It’s good that we maintained an intact core but we still have a lot to correct particularly on our execution.”

Bautista led all scorers with 22 points on top of five rebounds.  Sedurifa added 16 points and eight rebounds while Ablaza had 11 points and seven rebounds as they recovered from their 70-72 setback to Centro Escolar University last June 15.

Ivan Villanueva topped the still winless Titans with 14 followed by Renzo Subido with 13 and Jun Alas with 13.  Andre Paras registered another monster performance of 10 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks but it was not enough to prevent AMA’s fourth loss.

How They Scored:

BATANGAS (95) – Bautista 22, Sedurifa 16, Ablaza 11, Anderson 10, de Joya 8, Napoles 7, Ragasa 6, Mag-isa 5, Saitanan 4, Mendoza 3, Laude 3, de la Pena 0.

AMA ONLINE EDUCATION (76) – Villanueva 14, Subido 13, Alas 12, Paras 10, Bonleon 9, Flores 5, Salonga 4, Pontejos 4, Macaranas 3, Celso 2, Carpio 0, Malones 0, Jordan 0, Bragais 0.

Period Scores: 22-14, 44-26, 73-57, 95-76.