Pasig-Sta. Lucia scored a lopsided 90-69 victory against Iloilo to open its Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League campaign, Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Realtors had a slow start in the game but managed to get things going in the second half. There, they built a 10-point lead after the third quarter.
“Yung first half kasi ang nakita ko… Siyempre first game, medyo gigil yung mga players, gigil sa basketball ulit. So doon kami nawala sa wisyo,” said Sta. Lucia head coach Bong Dela Cruz.
“Pag dating ng second half sa dugout kinausap namin na tapos na yung first half. Now, itong ‘pag dating ng third quarter start na natin yung ginagawa natin sa practices which is na-execute nila yung game plan namin,” he added.
Fran Yu then kick-started a 19-6 run in the fourth frame. That gave the Realtors their biggest lead of the ball game at 23, 88-65, with four minutes remaining in the match.
The Royals never recovered from there as Sta. Lucia booked its first win in the tournament.
Yu, who struggled initially in the contest, finished with 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds for the Realtors in 26 minutes and 20 seconds of playing time.
Meanwhile, Ryan Costelo scored a game-high 15 points off the bench laced with five rebounds and two dimes. Justin Arana tallied 14 points and nine boards, while Ced Ablaza added 13 markers in the win.
Pasig now has a 1-0 standing while Iloilo slipped to 1-1 in Pool A tied with Bacoor. Still leading the pack is Bacolod with a 2-0 standing.
On the other hand, Caloocan (0-1) and Negros (0-2) are still winless.
Levi Hernandez spearheaded the Royals with 14 points and three rebounds while Aaron Jeruta had 12 points and four rebounds.
Pasig looks to make it two straight wins against Bacoor on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Iloilo, meanwhile, will try to bounce back on the same day against Bacolod at 1:30 PM.
The Scores:
Pasig (90) – Costelo 15, Arana 14, Ablaza 13, Yu 11, Bautista 9, Caralipio 8, Apinan 8, Mina 7, Teng 3, Lingganay 2, Ambohot 0
Iloilo (69) – Hernandez 14, Jeruta 12, Mahari 11, Maguliano 9, Taywan 8, Jaime 5, Vito 4, Iñigo 2, Santiago 2, Bederi 2, Javelosa 0, Gumaru 0
Quarterscores: 24-21, 46-40, 69-59, 90-69
