THE AEGIS Vipers completed their comeback from an erratic series start, blowing out the Eperformax Reds, 82-65, to barge into the northern conference finals of the 2013 E-League for Basketball at the City Sports Club-Cebu Gym last Sunday.
A daunting task awaits the Vipers as they will next face defending champion Stream Ingenyouity in a best-of-three series. Stream made it to the northern conference finals after sweeping the Calltek Trojans in their own race-to-two semifinals series.
Ryan Veloso erupted with 23 markers, Dean Junber Escalon wound up with 16, James Lester Navaja chipped in 12, while Rodulfo Enterina III added 11 for the Vipers, who still won the series despite losing Game One, 76-80.
Aegis went into the series with a do-or-die attitude thereby winning Game Two, 62-56.
Robert Gilo and John Alexon Loon both scored 19 points for the Reds, while Patrick Anthony Ybañez added 10.
The Lexmark Stallions, meanwhile, earned a trip to the southern conference finals with a 67-59 win over the Wipro Tigers, sweeping the semifinal series, 2-0.
The Sykes Pioneers, on the other hand, bucked outright elimination after they downed the Accenture Sharks, 83-74, in Game Two of the other southern conference semis duel.
After losing Game One badly, 50-72, Sykes quickly buckled down to work as they raced to an 18-4 lead and never looked back. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA