DAVAO CITY — Bruised and battered, top seed Davao Occidental-Cocolife had to dig deep to avert an upset of epic proportions, Wednesday at the RMC Petro Gazz Arena here.
Still, the reigning kings of the South outlasted eighth-seed Bicol-LCC Stores in overtime, 64-56, to advance to the semifinals of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go/MPBL Lakan quarterfinals.
“Oh my gosh! Hats off to Bicol, they gave us a tough, tough game. I’m happy for my guys for playing hard, never giving in. People were fouling out, our players were injured, but they still fought on,” expressed Tigers head coach Don Dulay.
Playing without Billy Robles and Jerwin Gaco in overtime as the two fouled out, Davao Occidental had to go to its king, Mark Yee. Yee was not supposed to play in the game as he was diagnosed with a partial right ACL tear prior to the game.
“The doctor said that he can’t play but he told me that he wants to. What can you do? You got to let him fight,” said Dulay.
Yee opened overtime with his trademark hook shot. But beyond that, the 38-year-old anchored the Tigers’ defense, holding the Volcanoes scoreless in overtime. Bicol went 0-of-9 from the field during the last five minutes.
Yee had four points, six rebounds, and three steals in 18 minutes of game time.
Big free throws by seldom-used players like Richard Albo and Kenneth Mocon also helped in punching the Tigers’ ticket to the next round.
“I always tell people I’m close to how special this team is. They are fighters. Even if guys like Albo, Gaco, and Mocon are not used a lot, they still show up in practice and in the game. That’s all a coach can ask for,” shared Dulay.
Gaco scored all 10 of his points in the final frame while also hauling eight boards. Bonbon Custodio — who stepped up for an injured Yvan Ludovice — scattered 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Besides running out of gas in overtime, Bicol also missed three crucial free throws in the final frame that would have completed its Cinderella run.
JR Ongteco had himself a game for Bicol, tallying 16 points and seven rebounds. Alwin Alday added 15 markers and nine boards.
Bicol’s lead gunner Ronjay Buenafe only had nine points on 2-of-14 shooting from the field. But he also committed six turnovers — three in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
The road though does not get easy for Davao Occidental, as it takes on Zamboanga-Family’s Brand Sardines in the best-of-three semifinals. The series begins on Monday, March 2 still here.
The Scores:
Davao Occidental-Cocolife 64 – Custodio 14, Gaco 10, Calo 9, Robles 9, Albo 8, Mocon 5, Terso 4, Yee 4, Balagtas 1, Raymundo 0, Saldua 0.
Bicol-LCC Stores 56 – Ongteco 16, Alday 15, Buenafe 9, Mondragon 7, Garcia 3, Aldave 2, Gusi 2, Manalang 2, Guerrero 0, Lalata 0, Olea 0.
Quarterscores: 11-9, 26-24, 42-43, 56-56, 64-56.
