Reigning champion SCSIT hands Ave Maria first loss in CBA-MLKP hoop tournament
Games today:
Cebu Coliseum
2 p.m. – SWU vs. SCSIT
4 p.m. – ACT vs. ThreeSixty
6 p.m. – Rollway vs. Ave Maria
The Akira-Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology Skyblazers played the role of the grinch as they handed the Ave Maria Sanctuary and Park their first loss of the tournament, with a thrilling 111-107 victory in the ongoing Cebu Basketball Association-M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala Mayor’s Cup, yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
The win allowed the reigning champions of the league to bounce back from their sorry 87-104 loss at the hands of the Asian College of Technology Cyber Knights the other night. It also allowed them to tie their victims at the top of the standings. The two squads now own similar 3-1 cards with the semifinals set for Dec. 26.
Bruiser Elvis Labares played the role of hero for Akira as he scored six of their last eight points, including consecutive baskets that allowed them to come back from a104-107 deficit with less than a minute left in the match.
Ave Maria was still trailing, 98-103, when Cid Cortes made a tough floater and Jojo Tangkay hit a step-back three-pointer and two free-throws that put them on top, 105-103. Danny Aying added two more free-throws for a 107-104 lead with 54.9 seconds left.
Later on Akira’s possession, Labares responded with a leaner and then, a midrange jumper with 21.2 ticks left. Ave Maria had a shot to pull off the win but instead turned the ball over. Making matters worse, Ian Saladaga was assessed a technical foul for protesting a non-call on their offensive. Labares and Ronan Isidro then calmly made the free-throws to seal the crucial victory.
The top four teams will advance to the semifinals on Monday with the top seed taking on the fourth seed. The second and third seeds will also battle for a slot in the finals.
In the ACT vs. SCSIT game, former NCAA Finals MVP Mark Magsumbol was at his finest as he scored 28 points to lead the Cyber Knights to their very first win in the competition. Mike Luga and Stephen Padilla added 19 and 18, respectively for ACT which improved to 1-2.
