Quezon escapes Laguna to take second win in NBL

Quezon squeaked past Laguna, 89-85, in the Chooks-to-Go NBL Chairman’s Cup 2021, Saturday at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.

Tied at 79 late in the game, the Barons went on a 9-0 scoring blitz, capped by a left-wing triple by Topeng Lagrama, 88-79, with 2:10 to go.

But Alex Junsay, Kevin Martin, and Aries Santos connived to score six unanswered points for Laguna and bring the deficit to just three, 85-88, with 15.7 ticks remaining.

Lagrama, though, split his charities to add on an insurance point for Quezon, then the Pistons failed to convert on the other end.

Arvine Calucin led the 2-0 Barons, flirting with a triple-double off the bench with 20 points on a 9-of-11 clip from the field, nine assists, eight rebounds, and five steals.

Lagrama also chimed in 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.

Alex Ramos also got 14 points and nine rebounds for the victors while Arjay Dongon had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Martin unloaded a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, which slid to 0-2.

King Fadriquela and Junsay fired 15 points apiece while Kim Galamiton nailed 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Both teams will be back in action tomorrow as Quezon squares off against Quezon District 4 at 1:15 PM. Meanwhile, Laguna battles powerhouse Pampanga at 4:00 PM.

The Scores:

Quezon 89 – Calucin 20, Lagrama 20, Ramos 14, Dongog 13, Vera 9, Garcia 4, Resurrecion 4, Plata 3, Deduyo 2, Sarona 0, Saturay 0, Tan 0, Nañez 0, Dacian 0.

Laguna 85 – Martin 16, Fadriquela 15, Junsay 15, Galamiton 12, Santos 11, Manacsa 9, Disquitado 5, Sandoval 2, Cardeno 0, Pantaleon 0.

Quarterscores: 22-28, 40-48, 67-64, 89-85.