PAGADIAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR — In a battle of home teams, ALZA Alayon Zamboanga Del Sur earned its first victory at the expense of home the Pagadian Explorers, 78-73, in the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup at the City Gymnasium here, Wednesday.
Forty-two year old Dennis Daa put the final nail on the Explorers’ coffin, burying a triple from the top-of-the-key with just 12.6 ticks left to make it a two-possession game.
Then Mark Benitez missed his three-point attempt on the other end as ALZA Alayon took its first win in three outings.
Daa led the victors with 17 points on 60-percent shooting from the field. He also had seven rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.
“The whole game was so close, ang lakas ng Pagadian, mga bata na magagaling. Buti ‘yung three-points ni Daa, ‘yun talaga ang naging pang-baon namin,” said ALZA Alayon head coach Bong Abad.
Eloy Poligrates pinched in 15 points and seven rebounds. On the other hand, Dan Sara filled the stat sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The Zamboanga Del Sur-based team now leapfrogged Kapatagan for seventh place at 1-2. The two teams will play tomorrow at 2 pm.
ALZA Alayon took advantage of the Explorers’ 19 errors, turning them into 26 easy points.
Rich Guinitaran had 15 points but went 4-of-13 from the field; meanwhile, Christian Manalo added 10 points but committed six turnovers. They led a 13-3 blast late in the fourth frame to turn a 57-66 hole to a 70-69 lead at the 2:05 mark.
Pagadian fell to 4-2, still at third place but with JPS Zamboanga just half a game behind at 3-2.
The Explorers will conclude their stretch of three games in three days tomorrow against the 3-0 Basilan at 4:00 PM.
The Scores:
Zamboanga del Sur 78 – Daa 17, Poligrates 15, Sara 12, Jabello 9, Amoquis 8, Puerto 5, Celada 5, Bangcoyan 2, Moneva 2, Tajonera 2, Pepito 1, Cruz 0, Raflores 0, Larotin 0.
Pagadian 73 – Guinitaran 15, Serrano 11, Manalo 10, Saludsod 7, Benitez 6, Caballero K. 6, Dechos 6, Villaver 5, Pamaran 3, Caballero R. 2, Diva 2, Bolotaolo 0, Quimado 0, Acaylar 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 33-35, 55-52, 78-73.
