Basilan held off Bicol through a 70-65 victory in a much-anticipated Pool B contest in the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational, Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Michael Juico finished with 24 big points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the tight win.
“It was a hard-fought game from start to finish,” said Basilan head coach Jerson Cabiltes.
JR Taganas, who drew Mark Yee’s fifth foul, split his free throws to extend the Jumbo Plastic-backed team’s lead to two, 67-65, with 47.2 seconds remaining in the game.
Jay Collado then earned another split on the stripe with 11.4 ticks left off a foul by Ralph Tansingco to spread the lead to three.
Dennis Santos tried to tie the game with a three-point attempt before Ernesto Bondoc put the icing with a fastbreak layup.
“They built a big lead at the start between the first and second quarter we were down by 15,” said Cabiltes as Bicol put up a 26-11 lead in the second quarter. “I just told the boys not to give up and to stay with our system and to keep the pressure on. Ayun nga, buti na lang nag bunga nung dulo.”
Collado contributed 15 points and seven boards while team skipper Jonathan Uyloan had 11 points, three steals, and two rebounds for Basilan.
Aside from securing its first win, Basilan also spoiled Bicol head coach Aldin Ayo’s return to five-on-five coaching.
Santos drained six three-pointers to finish with 22 points laced with four rebounds for the Volcanoes.
Ralph Tansingco added 13 points while Mac Tallo, who went off in the fourth frame, ended with 12 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Basilan will take a four-day break before returning to court on Thursday against Marikina at 5 PM while Bicol will next face Laguna tomorrow, Sunday at 1:00 PM.
The Scores:
Basilan (70) – Juico 24, Collado 15, Uyloan 11, Serrano 6, Reyes 4, Bondoc 4, Siruma 3, Bringas 2, Taganas 1, Gabo 0, Gimpayan 0, Manalang 0
Bicol (65) – Santos 22, Tansingco 13, Tallo 12, Cruz 5, Yee 5, Marcelino 3, Huang 3, Luib 2, Lao 0, Gabawan 0
Quarterscores: 11-20, 35-35, 51-47, 70-65.
