SECOND STRINGER Ador Mayol was inserted into the game at the most critical time. He made the most out of the opportunity.
Plucked from the bench to replace an injured teammate, Mayol delivered the marginal baskets in The Freeman/Cebu Daily News (CDN) Red Shamans’ gutsy 70-66 overtime win over the Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN)-47 yesterday in the 2013 Newsmen Basketball Association of Cebu (NBAC) at the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Gym.
With the two teams tied at 66-all and the outcome of the game clearly hanging in the balance, Mayol checked into the game in the final 40 seconds to replace Calvin Cordova, who limped off the court due to a sprained ankle.
In a crucial play, Jonas Panerio drove to the basket and attracted a phalanx of defenders but had the presence of mind to dish off to Mayol, who in one motion caught the leather and laid it in, giving the Red Shamans a 68-66 lead inside the final 30 seconds of the game.
The Red Shamans came up with a crucial defensive stop in the next play but Panerio turned the ball over, giving CCTN one final chance to tie the game.
The Red Shamans came up with yet another critical defensive stop and Mayol ended the scoring with a buzzer-beating jumper from the right wing.
Mayol’s crucial overtime points preserved the heroics of Panerio in regulation.
Panerio completed a tip-in as the regulation buzzer sounded, sending the game into five-minute extension.
Panerio bucked a sluggish first half to finish with a team-high 25 points, while Cordova added 15. Mayol chipped in six markers. /editorial assistant calvin cordova