ANTIPOLO CITY — Veteran Paul Sanga knew how important their game against Muntinlupa-Angelis Resort would be in their 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season playoff chances.
And so he tried to take over right from the beginning of the game. Unfortunately, though, his shots were not falling — he had just a dismal 1-of-9 clip at halftime.
He went on to miss five more shots before one telling run that willed Caloocan-Victory Liner to victory.
Sanga, who was then 1-of-14 from the field, buried a trey at the 3:58 mark of the fourth quarter. He followed it up with another triple and two freebies, before teammate Cedric Labing-isa drained the go-ahead free throws. Those 10 unanswered points make a 53-62 deficit to a 63-62 advantage for the Supremos.
Then both camps missed their attempts in the final 2:03 of the game, giving Caloocan a 63-62 triumph over the Cagers, Monday night at the Ynares Center.
“As a veteran and as a shooter, I have to keep on shooting kahit na malas ako. Kailangan ko talagang gawin ‘yung role ko dito sa team,” said the 32-year-old swingman.
The Far Eastern University product ended up with 15 points, six rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
More importantly, Caloocan raised its win-loss record to 15-13, still in the ninth spot of the Northern division but just half-a-game behind eighth-seed Pasay at 15-12.
“Sabi ko sa team, ipanalo namin ‘yung last three games namin para hindi na namin isipin ‘yung kung anong mangyayari sa Pasay.”
In other games, Iloilo squeaked out a 67-63 victory over Biñan-Luxxe White; meanwhile, Basilan-Jumbo Plastic cruised to its fourth-straight win after beating Rizal-Xentro Mall, 103-85.
Story by Justin Valencia
Photo by Thel Suliva
