Cagayan Valley routs Big Chill in D-League

FORMER Southwestern University King Cobra Eliud Poligrates is steadily hitting his stride as he led the Cagayan Valley Rising Suns to a rousing 77-59 win over the Big Chill Superchargers in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup yesterday at the Arellano University gym.

Poligrates, a flashy guard by from Danao, scored 19 points while three others scored in twin digits to help the Suns keep their bid for an outright slot in the semifinals alive. It was their fifth win in eight games and put them in third place behind the league-leading NLEX and Blackwater Sports.

Adrian Celada and James Forrester came off the bench and contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively for the Rising Suns.

It was a frustrating defeat for the Superchargers, who came into the game aiming for a win to fortify their bid for an outright semifinal spot. But they were soft on defense and appeared rusty, perhaps the result of the long holiday break.

John Brondial scored 14 points to show the way for the Superchargers, who lost three of their last four games.

Arvie Bringas contributed 10 before being ejected with 4:25 left in the third after picking up with second technical on second motion against his brother Mark.

Box scores:

Cagayan Valley 77 – Poligrates 19, Celada 15, Forrester 14, Webb 10, Bringas 9, Eximiniano 5, Chong 3, Almazan 2.

Big Chill 59 – Brondial 14, Bringas 10, Romeo 7, Montilla 7, Nuyles 6, Buenafe 5, Collado 4, Villahermosa 3, Santos 3. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio