Lingganay layup lifts Powerade

Games today:

USC Gym

5 p.m. – MLKP-Cebu Niños vs. Meralco

7 p.m. – Alaska vs. Powerade

THE fairy tale story of guard Rudy Lingganay continued yesterday as he sank the game-winning layup that carried the Powerade Tigers to a heart-pounding, 64-63, win over the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños in the 2011 Mayor’s Cup Invitational Games yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

Lingganay, an undrafted player out of the University of the East (UE) who, earlier in the year, helped sparked the Misamis Oriental Meteors to the Liga Pilipinas title, pounced on the Niños’ mental lapse in the endgame as he zipped past his defenders and sneaked in a layup that put the Tigers on top, 64-63, with 2.6 seconds left.

MLKP had dibs on the victory but their last possession created nothing but a turnover on a botched inbound pass that was stolen by Francis Allera.

Powerade and the Niños are now tied with similar 1-1 (win-loss) records.

For the Tigers, it was a nice recovery from the 68-85 loss that they received at the hands of the Meralco Bolts the other night.

The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the Raul Alcoseba-mentored Niños after they grabbed the lead, 63-62, after two freethrows by Abby Santos with 1:20 left that completed their comeback from a four-point deficit.

After a defensive stop, the Niños gained possession with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock but instead of running out the clock, import Devon Sullivan opted to go to the basket for a score but was stopped by a phalanx of Powerade defenders.

This set the stage for the heroics of Lingganay.  /Correspondent Jonas Panerio