The red-hot Marinerong Pilipino Skippers cruised to their fifth straight victory and crippled the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, taking an 84-62 victory, Monday afternoon at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Alvin Pasaol set the tone for the Skippers, dropping all of his nine points in the first two quarters, as they established control early with their 10-0 start and never looked back.
Abu Tratter paced Marinerong Pilipino with 16 markers and six rebounds, while Gab Banal added 11 points, five assists, and four boards.
Renzo Subido also went for 11 markers on a 3-of-5 shooting from threes, as the Skippers collectively shot 8-of-22 from downtown.
Marinerong Pilipino’s 22-point win propels them to joint second place, with Akari-Adamson at 6-2, as they stay in the hunt for the elusive top two spots.
However, Coach Koy Banal humbled his wards and braced the Skippers for the tougher wars ahead.
“We haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said. “We want to be in the top two, to be in the semis outright. But the important thing here is we need to take care of ourselves and not relax. We want to be better every game.”
Ervin Grospe led the skidding JRU with 16 points and three rebounds.
The Heavy Bombers have now lost seven consecutive games to once again drop down the cellar at 1-7.
The Scores:
Marinerong Pilipino 84 — Tratter 16, Banal 11, Subido 11, Pasaol 9, Olivares 8, Robles 8, Toth 6, Ayonayon 5, Eboña 4, Babilonia 2, Iñigo 2, Lopez 2, Terso 0, Tolentino 0.
JRU 62 — Grospe 16, Guzman 14, Mendoza 14, Dela Virgen 8, Porter 6, Apinan 2, Sawat 2, Bordon 0, Esguerra 0, Pontejos 0, Silvarez 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 23-11, 44-34, 68-55, 84-62.
