Bacolod-Master’s Sardines scored an upset, tripping the playoff-bound Bulacan, 76-69, in the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan Cup, Friday at the Marikina Sports Center.
Up by just two points, Mar Villahermosa and Simon Camacho joined hands in a crucial 6-2 blast to give Bacolod a comfortable seven-point cushion, 74-67, with 1:02 left in the game.
Camacho then fished a foul from Lyle Antipuesto, putting the game out of reach with two freebies with 14 ticks remaining.
“Maganda naman talaga ang potential ng team na ‘to, it was just built late tapos along the way there were hurdles but let’s see next season,” said Bacolod head coach Vic Ycasiano on his team’s upset of Bulacan.
Villahermosa spearheaded the assault with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting laced with three assists and two rebounds. Jeric Cañada flaunted his all-around game, tallying 10 points, 11 assists, and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Camacho had 10 markers and six boards.
Bacolod capped off the elimination round with an 11-19 win-loss slate, good for the eleventh spot in the South Division.
On the other hand, JR Alabanza and Rev Diputado were the only players who hit the double-digit mark for Bulacan. They had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The troika of Lester Alvarez, JR Taganas, and Stephen Siruma were held to only nine combined points.
Bulacan remain in the sixth spot in the North Division with a 19-11 record, missing the chance to overtake the fifth-seeded Bataan, who has a 20-10 standing. The Kuyas defeated the Risers in their head-to-head match-up.
The Scores:
Bacolod-Master’s Sardines (76) — Villahermosa 14, Cañada 10, Camacho 10, Charcos 9, Santos 8, Adamos 6, Custodio 4, Bernardo 4, Haruna 4, Dela Cruz 4, Saitanan 3, Dimas 0, Cauilan 0
Bulacan (69) — Alabanza 11, Diputado 10, Arim 9, De Mesa 9, Escosio 8, Nermal 7, Dela Cruz 4, Taganas 4, Alvarez 3, Siruma 2, Mendoza 2, Antipuesto 0
Quarterscores: 19-13, 43-34, 56-50, 76-69
Story by Jonash Dannug
Photo by Nicks Hernandez
