0
0
Fil-Am DJ Mitchell drilled in a deep corner triple, while Carl Bryan Cruz canned two charities in the last 39 seconds to lift Manila past debuting Caloocan, 69-66, on Tuesday in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season elimination round at the San Andres Sports Complex.
Davao Occidental nipped Bacolod, 72-71, while Quezon Province tripped Pangasinan, 72-68 in other thrillers.
Manila SV Batang Sampaloc trailed most of the way, the last at 64-66 with 39 seconds left when Caloocan Batang Kankaloo bunched six points.
However, a pressure-free Mitchell responded to the challenge with that go-ahead jumper before Cruz sealed Manila’s third win in four games with the free throws with only 1.6 seconds to go.
Cruz tallied 18 points and six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks to earn best player honors over Mitchell, formerly of US NCAA Division I school Hartford, who posted 12 points, three rebounds, and two steals.
Other significant contributors for Manila Coach Gabby Severino were Enzo Navarro, with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal, and Pao Javelona, with 10 points, six assists, and 2 rebounds.
Caloocan was hounded by poor free-throw shooting, making only 6 out of 15 tries, as Antonio Bonsubre flubbed all five attempts, including two in the dying seconds.
In contrast, Manila made 11 of 16 charities and went 12 of 30 from rainbow territory, surpassing its total of 11 2-pointers.
The Batang Kankaloo got 12 points and three rebounds from veteran Gabby Espinas, 11 points, six rebounds, and three steals from Jeramer Cabanag, and 10 points plus five rebounds from Reil Cervantes. Bonsubre finished with only 4 points but had ten rebounds.
Terence Tumalip scored 8 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to power Davao to an even 1-1 record. His explosion complemented Kelly Nabong’s 12-point, 8-rebound effort and Arth Dela Cruz’s 12-point, 7-rebound output.
Bacolod tumbled to 1-3 despite drawing 11 points each from Tricky Dyn Peromingan, Danny Marilao, and homegrown Miles Canal, and 10 points from Jacob Galicia.
With Xyrus Torres scoring five points, the Quezon Huskers surged ahead, 66-58, and held the fort to tally their second straight victory.
Torres scored 16 points and four rebounds for the Huskers, who also received significant contributions from Judel Fuentes, Ximone Sandagon, and LJ Gonzales.
Sandagon notched 12 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, and Fuentes posted 12 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Gonzales contributed 9 points despite sinking only 1 of 6 charities, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. NCAA Season 98 MVP Will Gozum chalked 6 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 14 minutes and 45 seconds of play for the Huskers, who are out to contend for the crown this year.
Pangasinan, which fell to 1-3, drew 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds from Hesed Gabo, and 11 points plus five rebounds from Jerald Bautista.
The MPBL visits the Olivares College Gym in Paranaque on Wednesday, April 24. The triple bill pits Sarangani against Bulacan at 4 p.m., Bataan against Valenzuela at 6 p.m., and Muntinlupa against Paranaque at 8 p.m.
Caption: Carl Bryan Cruz pushes Manila past Caloocan.
Average Rating