The Golden Stags continue to roll
After dropping their opening game against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, the Golden Stags are now winners of five in a row, dashing the Arellano University Chiefs’ quarterfinals hopes in a 71-63 win, Wednesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
San Sebastian is now sitting at second place in Group B of the 2017 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup with a 5-1 record while Arellano, a team that picked up its first win of the season last Monday, sits with a 1-4 slate.
With Michael Calisaan already feeling the effects of the tough grind of the off-season, sophomore gunslinger RK Ilagan stepped up for the Golden Stags with 14 points, knocking down four triples in the game to go along with four assists and two steals.
“Swerte lang,” Ilagan said about his outing. “Gustong-gusto kasi namin bumawi sa Arellano kasi last season, hindi kami nanalo sa kanila.”
And his buckets came at a crucial point.
After San Sebastian coughed up a 17-point halftime lead by allowing Arellano to score 27 third quarter points, Ilagan doused the Chiefs’ hopes of an upset, scoring six straight points in the final two minutes of the game.
Main man Calisaan was limited to just 11 points and two rebounds.
“Si Michael kasi, alam natin na back-to-back na namin ito. Napagod na rin siya kaya binigiyan ko na ng chance yung iba,” second-year San Sebastian head coach Egay Macaraya said as they were playing their second game in three days.
After an almost triple-double performance last Monday, Kent Salado struggled from the field, shooting just 4-for-12 for the game to finish with 15 points. The Cagayan de Oro-native grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four dimes, and had two steals.
Allen Enriquez paced Arellano, a team that shot just 38 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers, with 15 points and two swats.
San Sebastian will next face the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, June 7. Arellano, on the other hand, will look to make the most out of its remaining games, taking on the Saint Benilde Blazers on Friday, June 2.
The Scores:
SSC-R (71) – Ilagan 14, Calisaan 11, David 8, Costelo 8, Calma 8, Capobres 5, Valdez 5, Navarro 3, Fabian 2, Baetiong 2, Are 2, Sangalang 2, Gayosa 1, Baytan 0.
AU (63) – Enriquez 15, Salado 15, Flores 12, Canete 8, Nicholls 6, Villoria 5, Abanes 4, Meca 0, Concepcion 0, Rivera 0, Taywan 0, Chavez 0, Padilla 0.
Quarterscores: 22-8, 41-24, 54-51, 71-63.
