Marikina held off Laguna-Krah Asia, 79-73, for its first win in the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Monday night.
Kyle Tolentino proved to be a revelation for Marikina, unleashing 24 big points laced with nine rebounds and three assists to help his side fend off the gritty Heroes in the end game.
It was an emotional victory for the 20-year-old Tolentino, who broke into tears during the post-match interview, as he shared it with his dad and coach Elvis Tolentino.
“Ako I never doubted naman e, nakita ko naman yung talent. Sabi ko nga sa kaniya, ‘di ko siya gagamitin dahil anak ko siya. Kailangan makatulong siya kaya siya ginagamit,” said the elder Tolentino.
Trailing by as much as 11 points in the final frame, MJ Dela Virgen and Edgar Charcos drained back-to-back triples to slice Marikina’s lead to just four, 73-77, with 1:23 remaining
Ato Ular then secured a putback off a Joshua Gonzales miss to seal the game for Marikina.
“Nakita namin maganda yung schedule, nakita namin yung mga games na ahead e. Maganda kasi nga napanood namin yung iba,” said Tolentino.
Ular collected 16 points and 12 rebounds for Marikina while Raynel Casajeros added eight markers and four boards.
With the win, Marikina (1-0) forged a tie with Basilan (1-0) in Pool B. Meanwhile, Bicol is currently at 1-1 while Laguna is at 0-2.
Dela Virgen top-scored for Laguna with 17 points. He also had seven rebounds and three assists in the win.
AJ Coronel chipped in 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while Christian Fajarito, who was fouled out in the latter part of the match, had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Marikina will take on Makati tomorrow, Tuesday at 5:00 PM. Meanwhile, Laguna will also go up against Makati on Friday at 9:30 AM.
The Scores:
Marikina (79) – Tolentino 24, Ular 16, Casajeros 8, Palattao 7, Gonzales 7, Tambeling 6, Carurucan 6, Mendoza 3, Española 2, Gines 0, Sumalacay 0, Pascual 0
Laguna (73) – Dela Virgen 17, Coronel 14, Fajarito 10, Charcos 6, Serios 6, Aurin 6, Fuentes 5, Rivera 5, Saguiguit 2, Laban 2, Guiab 0, Anonuevo 0
Quarterscores: 14-21, 38-36, 66-55, 79-73.
