Mandaue wins it again
There is no stopping the Mandaue-Cebu Landmasters/RDAK as they grabbed their third straight leg title after defeating the GenSan-MP Warriors, 76-65, in the finals of the 5th leg of the SMC Liga Pilipinas V late Saturday night at the GMP Sports Complex in General Santos City.
The crown assured the Landmasters of the top slot in the standings heading to the Super Leg, with one more pocket tournament to go next week to be hosted by the Misamis Oriental Meteors in Cagayan de Oro City.
Ariel Capus brought out his A-game when it mattered the most as he scorched the nets in the fourth period to break the game wide open in Mandaue’s favor. He scored 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, but more importantly, he nailed three three-point shots in the final canto that put the Landmasters in front for good after trailing, 52-53, at the start of the fourth frame.
Two-time leg MVP Mark Magsumbol contributed 14 points while Marlon Basco contributed 12. Louie Medalla paced the Warriors with 13 markers followed by Jonathan Parreno with nine.
Mandaue coach Jun Tan also became the sixth coach in Liga history to garner three or more weekly titles. The list includes Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, Jun Noel, Nomar Isla, Oliver Bunyi and Bing Victoria.
Meanwhile, the Ilocos Sur CS Tigers of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson and Coach Johnedel Cardel ended their sojourn on a positive note by copping third place at the expense of the Laguna Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Philip Cezar, 82-79.
The CS Tigers picked up three points and finished the Tour Phase with a total of 15, a point better than the MP Warriors. However, the Warriors will still see action this week, thus, putting the Tigers’ hopes in jeopardy.
The Golden Lions are secured for the Super Leg with 19 points, good for third place in the current overall standings.
Ariel de Castro led the Tigers with 18 points and Chito Jaime added 11 as the duo made a living off the 11 assists of Warren Ybanez.
Glenn Bolocon set a new conference standard of 30 points and EJ Feihl played his best game yet with 14 points and eight rebounds but their efforts went to naught.
