BIÑAN, LAGUNA – Also-ran Marikina Shoemasters held off the Gerald Anderson-led Imus-Luxxe Slim, 89-86, in the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Cup, Tuesday at the Alonte Sports Arena here.
Gerald Anderson and Jay-ar Ng Sang conspired in an 8-0 rally to pull Imus to within three points, 80-83, through a with 1:22 left on the clock.
But Yves Sazon had other things in mind, firing a huge three-pointer before Warren Ybanez converted two from the charity strip to restore an eight-point advantage, 88-80, with 22.4 ticks remaining for Marikina.
Not wanting to go down without a fight, Imus’ Jojo Cunanan made a triple to cut it back the Shoemasters’ lead to five. Sazon and Ybanes went 1-of-4 from the line, paving the way for another triple for Imus courtesy of Anderson to slice the lead to three, 86-89, with 9.3 remaining.
Anderson then stole the ball off a pass by Ybanez but missed a game-tying triple, finally ending his side’s tough fightback.
“Yun nga hindi kami nagpapatalo. Maganda yung additions namin and everyone wants to win. Sabi ko kasi we’re preparing for next season and for themselves din, individually preparation din nila ‘yan,” said Shoemasters head coach Elvis Tolentino.
Ular dropped a monster stat line of 33 points on a 10-of-16 shooting clip laced with 15 boards and two steals, leading Marikina to its sixth victory of the season with a 6-19 card in the Northern Division.
Sazon – who poured 33 in Marikina’s previous 89-82 victory against Rizal last Friday – followed with 23 points and four rebounds for the Shoemasters.
On the other hand, Ng Sang paced the Luxxe Slim-backed squad with 15 points and nine boards while JR Cawaling and Anderson chipped in 13 and 12 markers, respectively for the 6-23 Imus.
The Scores:
Marikina (89) – Ular 33, Sazon 23, Espanola 8, Ybanez 6, Gines 5, Salvador 4, Mendoza 2, Casajeros 2, Tambeling 2, Dysam 2, De Chavez 2, Fortuno 0, Padua 0, Pascual 0, Cadorna 0
Imus-Luxxe Slim (86) – Ng Sang 15, Cawaling 13, Anderson 12, Cunanan 12, Helterbrand 10, Nacpil 10, Munsayac 7, Dedicatoria 4, Lim 2, Ong 1, Deles 0, Cantimbuhan 0
Quarterscores: 27-15, 52-35, 68-62, 89-86
Story by Jonash Dannug
Photo by Thel Suliva
