Mandaue downs MisOr in finals, secures second leg championship

The Mandaue-Cebu Landmasters/RDAK won their second leg championship in the Liga Pilipinas V after they beat the Misamis Oriental Meteors, 84-80, in the finals of the fourth leg late Saturday night at the Mandaue Cultural and Sports Complex.

Proving that they have a lot of weapons at their disposal aside from their tough and formidable starting five, the Landmasters got a whopping 41 points from their bench players during the final game, which proved to the difference maker along with the superb play of eventual leg Most Valuable Player  Mark Magsumbol.

Magsumbol, who already has two leg MVP trophies after bagging his first in the Cebu leg, finished with 16 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals. He also had a layup and a free-throw in the last 30 seconds of the match that helped clinch the championship for Mandaue.

Still, the spotlight shone brightly on the bench play of the Landmasters, notably, Jan Villaver, who scored 11 straight points for his team at the start of the fourth period that pushed them ahead after being down by three, 53-56, at the end of the third period.  His three-pointer tied the game at 56-all. The his three-point play off a nice post move over  Dino Daa pushed them ahead for good with 8:54 remaining.

Later on, Villaver added another three-point shot and a midrange jumper while Magsumbol and Axel Doruelo made free throws that gave Mandaue their biggest lead of the game at 74-67 with 3:25 left on the clock.

The Meteors threatened for the last time at 73-76 after a lay-up by Egay Billones but newly-acquired point guard, Leomar Losentes shut the door on the next possession as he hit a straightaway trifecta that pushed the Landmasters in front, 79-73.

Meanwhile, the Laguna Golden Lions defeated the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos in the battle for third place, 68-56.

This marks the first time in Liga history that the three-time national champions Niños of Michel J. Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba finished in last place in a weekly leg.