PAGADIAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR — Globalport-MisOr clinched the all-important top seed after trouncing Roxas, 84-73, to close the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup Mindanao Challenge eliminations, Friday at the Pagadian City Gymnasium here.
The Valientes at 8-4 will go straight to the semifinals and will wait for the winner of the Zamboanga Sibugay-Vanguards quarterfinals matchup.
“Pinahirapan kami bago makapasok sa semis. We had many chances to clinch but ‘yun ang mahirap sa liga na ito eh so balanced pero it’s still an advantage for us malaking bagay ito,” said MisOr head coach Vis Valencia.
The Valientes came out of the gates with guns blazing, zooming to an early 25-10 advantage after the first quarter, and never let that lead go.
Roxas was the squad who came back from 23 down to stun MisOr in the first round, 90-87.
But the Valientes did not allow the ghosts of the past to haunt them, keeping their distance throughout the match.
The closest the Vanguards could get was eight after back-to-back layups by James Martinez at the 7:17 mark of the payoff period, 55-63.
Joseph Nalos and Ralph Salcedo joined hands in a 9-2 rally to restore its margin to 15, 72-57, with 5:30 left.
Nalos unleashed a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with five assists, while Reil Cervantes added 12 points.
Brylle Meca was a spark off the bench with 12 points on his name while Nicole Ubalde got 11 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Martinez’s 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting alongside five assists were not enough for Roxas.
Cyrus Tabi had 13 points while Wawa Templo chipped in 10. Marlon Monte was held scoreless, going 0-of-7 in 27 minutes.
The Vanguards slipped to 6-6, tied with the Anak Mindanao Warriors for fourth but the latter hold the edge for winning both their games.
Roxas and Zamboanga Sibugay open their quarterfinals series tomorrow at 4 pm, with the latter holding a twice-to-beat incentive. The knockout semifinals are on Monday.
The Scores:
MisOr 84 – Nalos 18, Cervantes 12, Meca 12, Ubalde 11, Estrella 8, Lee Yu 7, Baracael 6, Salcedo 4, Ballesteros 3, Caranguian 2, Aguilar 1, Bernardo 0, Agbong 0.
Roxas 73 – Martinez 27, Tabi 13, Templo 10, Dela Cruz 9, Segura 7, Valin 5, Mandreza 2, Monte 0, Abanto 0, Basco 0.
Quarterscores: 25-10, 44-32, 60-46, 84-73.
