With Jollo Go going up to Blackwater, Juan Gomez de Liaño took the leadership role, leading Marinerong Pilipino to an 87-49 rout of AMA to book a spot in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup playoffs, Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The former Tokyo Z import dropped 31 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Toby Agustin added 15 points and six boards off the bench, while Bryan Lacap chimed in 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Marinerong Pilipino played its first game without Blackwater call-up Jollo Go.
The win pushed the Skippers to a 4-1 record to secure them a top six finish. They’re now very much in the running for the top two seeds that comes with an outright semifinal berth.
“Maganda yung sitwasyon namin ngayon but ang focus namin is one game at a time,” said Skippers head coach Yong Garcia.
But Marinerong Pilipino still had to recover from a lackadaisical start after AMA came hot off the gates and took a 13-3 lead.
Nonetheless, the Skippers were just too good to fall by the wayside, getting their act together to pull away in the game. They even hold a 42-point lead, 87-45, late in the game.
AMA banked on Nemesis dela Cruz’ 12 points and six rebounds as they dropped their fifth straight game.
The Scores:
Marinerong Pilipino 87 — Gomez de Liano 31, Agustin 15, Lacap 11, Garcia 6, Gamboa 6, Nocum 6, Hernandez 5, Carino 4, Bonifacio 3, Bonsubre 0, Pido 0.
AMA 49 — Dela Cruz 12, Velchez 7, Fuentes 6, Gile 6, Pineda 5, D. Cruz 3, Baclig 3, Yambao 3, Kapunan 2, R. Cruz 2, Palana 0, Villamor 0, Romero 0, Ceniza 0, Camay 0.
Quarterscores: 10-15, 38-25, 63-35, 87-49.
