La Trinidad, Benguet – The La Trinidad Market Ephesians team got their second win at the expense of the Swordsmen while the Brethren and the La Trinidad, Benguet International Baptist Church – Escudo duplicated the same result in the Corinthians Division of the third Season of the Laity Cup at the San Jose Gymnasium last May 28, 2015.
The Marketers used big runs at the end of the last two quarters to thwart the Swordsmen, 78-62, and join the Trojan Warriors and the Latter Day Saints at joint second place. Facing a 42-43 deficit at the 4:20 mark of the third, the Marketers went on an 8-2 blast to take a seven point lead into the fourth.
They would duplicate such effort in the fourth to ice the game. Holding on to a precarious 64-58 lead with four and a half minutes left in the game, the marketers dropped a 14-2 bomb to preserve the win. Herzon Aliaga scored 23 points while Denver Quidez added 17 to lead the Marketers.
In second game, the Brethren built huge early lead and thwarted attempted rallies by Perpetual Help for Buguias on the way to a 94-82 win. Von Padilla scored 25 points while Justin Benter added 16 to lead Brethren in erecting a formidable 24 point lead at halftime, 61-37 that made the game looking to just be played luxuriously.
Then Perpetual Help got it going. Georgesky Guillao drained 11 points including two triples to ignite a 15-3 attack and chop the lead to 14, 64-50 forcing Brethren into a time out. When action resumed, Jefferson Dennis promptly sank a trey and combined with Lennon Tiago to produce an 8-2 counter punch to restore a 20 point spread, 72-52, midway through the third.
Another stab at the lead was executed by Perpetual Help on the strength of Alcurt Fuchigami’s six points early in the fourth to cut the lead to a more manageable level but Padilla added six more points including a triple in a counter that would render time to ran out for Perpetual Help to maintain a sustained run.
In the final game of the night, the Escudo overcame an early deficit and broke away from a tied game by finishing with a mighty kick during the final six minutes to frustrate the CCDC Admirals, 104-85, and send the defending champions to their third straight loss.
CCDC used its speed and shooting accuracy build leads of 30-25 after the first and 53-46 at halftime. The Admirals got it going with distributed scoring as Rodolfo Bongcato, Butch Diaz and Dixon Agosto are already had double digit scoring while Kurt Panagan and Jaylo Lacaden are not far behind with 9 and 8, respectively. The Admirals also did a tremendous job of controlling the boards early with gang rebounding and using speed to recover long balls while limiting Escudo to shooting from the perimeter.
Then Escudo made a move in the third. It outscored a now tiring CCDC 27-18 in the third to take the lead and make the game tight that made the game more physical. The excessive contact resulted to two technical fouls and some thrash talking but was all in the name of competition.
It was still tied 77-all midway through the fourth when John Kiniway dumped six markers and Chris Bansan contributed four to engineer a 12-3 attack and start the breakaway, 89-80 forcing CCDC to sue for time. When action resumed, CCDC tried to rally but felt the lack of personnel for the game as the taller and heftier Escudos began to assert their might inside the paint.
Fatigue caught up with them towards the end of the game as they could not convert shots they normally make in the first half and could not go after long rebounds and Escudo obliged willingly to capitalize. Edenbhert Tong, Bansan and Alaine Berkley Abibuag scored two each that were unanswered to ice the game.
The Marketers and the Swordsmen struggled to score early. After Shatner Epler scored the first basket in the opening minute, both teams failed to connect on several tries until the 6:50 mark of the first canto when Ron Dagdagan laid up a basket. The pattern would hold through out the first until the 7:25 mark of the second when Quidez and Jenefer Molitas lead a 12-0 Marketers run to make the count 28-15, 3:35 left in the second.
The Swordsmen countered with their own 15-2 attack drawing six straingt unanswered point from Xylee Sillatoc and two basket by Julius Relos in the last 25 second of the first half to retake the lead at the half.
An exchange of baskets early in the third would ran the score to 43-42 still in favor of the Swordsmen before the Marketers would make their first run at the end of the third, 51-44. Both teams would then exchanged baskets again in the early part of the fourth before the Marketers made their second run to take the win.
The scores:
First game:
Marketers 78: Aliaga 23, Quidez 17, Sean Penchop 12, Molitas 9, Adonis Dicksen 7, Michael Maliones 6, Ferdinand Palpusa 4.
Swordsmen 62: Relos 27, Silatoc 10, Beibar Ramos 6, Ron Dagdagan 5, Jericho Aoanan 4, Raul Dagdagan 4, Epler 4, Jr. Obiacoro 2, Mel Picardal, Reymart Alos, Marco Suyayen .
Quarterscores: 12-13, 30-31, 51-44, 78-62.
3pt shot conversion: Quidez 1, Molitas 1, Ron Dagdagan 1. Free throw conversions: Quidez 6, Aliaga 5, Molitas 2, Dicksen 1.
Second Game:
Brethren 94: Padilla 31, Benter 26, Dennis 16, Clifton Agasen 8, Charston Cho 6, Harvey Lee 4, Tiago 3 .
Perpetual Help 82: Fuchigami 21, Guillao 18, Hudson Molitas 16, Rusty Bigo 15, Jake Beray 4, Reyland Egsan 4, Marlon Ludaes 2, Roderick Pacuyan 2, Greyl Balabag, Loudwig Soriano.
Quarterscores: 29-20, 61-37, 79-60, 94-82.
3pt shot conversion: Padilla 6, Dennis 2, Benter 1, Tayab 3, Bigo 1, Fuchigami 1. Free throw conversions: Benter 7, Tiago 3, Padilla 3.
Third Game:
Escudo 103: Kiniway 24, E. Tong 21, AC Abibuag 19, AB Abibuag 15, Fritzgerald Tong 10, Bansan 6, Earl Patrick Ng 4, Andrew Demot 2, Funk Caoili 2.
CCDC 84: Panagan 20, Bongcato 20, Diaz 13, Agosto 12, Lacaden 10, Astor Beniasan 6, Jordan Tagle 4.
Quarterscores: 25-30, 46-53, 73-71, 104-85.
3pt shot conversion: E. Tong 3, Kiniway 1, Diaz 2, Panagan 2. Free throw conversions:Kiniway 5, AC Abibuag 3, AB Abibuag 1, Panagan 6, Diaz 3, Bongcato 2.
