BALANGA, BATAAN — Kyle Neypes’ clutch baskets lifted Biñan City Luxxe White past Caloocan Supremos-Victory Liner in a tight 72-68 affair in the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Cup, Thursday at the Bataan People’s Center.
Allan Mangahas sliced through the heart of Caloocan’s defense and launched a lob pass to Neypes, who then converted the bucket to take a 70-68 advantage with 22.9 ticks remaining.
James Mangahas snatched the ball on the other end, throwing it again to Neypes. This time, the latter scored a layup to ice the game for good with 1.1 seconds left.
“Masaya ako para sa kanya kasi nag-step up siya. Kailangan ko siya eh, lalo na sa depensa. Silang dalawa ni Ivan [Vilannueva], salamat talaga ako sa kanya kasi nag-deliver siya,” said Biñan head coach Denok Miranda on Neypes’ solid outing.
Neypes tallied 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field laced with four rebounds to power Biñan’s fifth straight victory en route to a 10-13 record.
Paul Sanga opened the final frame waxing hot, draining three treys to spark a 10-2 run and turn a five-point deficit to a 58-53 advantage for Caloocan.
Biñan countered it with a 9-2 swing led by Clark Bautista to retake the lead at 64-60 with 3:54 left in the game.
Still, Thomas Torres was able to trim it to three after a perfect trip from the line. Sanga then drained the game-tying triple with 43.9 ticks remaining, locking the scores at 68-all.
But the Supremos fell short, having no answer for Neypes’ heroics.
Bautista spearheaded the offensive blow for the Luxxe White-backed squad with 20 points on top of six boards and three assists to help his squad stay in the tenth spot of the Southern Division — still seven games behind eight-running Zamboanga.
Allan Mangahas added 10 points and eight dimes, while Macky Acosta had 10 for Biñan.
Paul Sanga, who dropped 13 points in the fourth quarter, ended with 15 points built on four three-pointers for Caloocan.
The Victory Liner-backed squad dropped their slate to 14-11, keeping the eight spot in the Northern Division.
The Scores:
Biñan City-Luxxe White (72) –– Bautista 20, Neypes 12, A.Mangahas 10, Acosta 10, Villanueva 6, J.Mangahas 5, Parala 4, Castañares 3, Rivera 2, Stevens 0, Mendoza 0, Pontejos 0
Caloocan-Victory Liner (68) — Sanga 15, Labing-isa 13, Torres 11, Mandani 7, Lasco 6, Ambulodto 5, Escalambre 5, Manilao 3, Sarangay 2, Gonzales 1, Tongco 0
Quarterscores: 22-13, 36-28, 53-48, 72-68
Story by Jonash Dannug
Photo by Thel Suliva
