Hard-fighting TRMH-CMO bows out in style
By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO
The title is gone but the fight is not over. That’s the heart of a champion.
Defending champion The Royal Mandaya Hotel-City Mayor’s Office kissed its title-retention bid goodbye on Wednesday night after bowing to unbeaten Montaña Pawnshop 70-61 in the Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte Cup 78th Araw ng Davao Basketball Tournament.
Former PBA gunner Jojo Tangkay, who helped give TRMH-CMO win the title last year, played the villain’s role as far as the champions are concerned but every bit the hero with his new team Montaña which swept the eliminations with its third win in a row.
Playing his fireman’s role when needed, Tangkay was dispatched by the Pawnbrokers’ coach Nick Serafica with a little over three minutes left in the match and the San Beda-powered Hoteliers ahead by five 61-56. Obviously, Tangkay knows what Serafica wanted and he came through with a delivery that once made him the tournament most valuable player here.
The 36-year old Tangkay spun and baited Franz Jonathan Abuda for a three-point play to put the Pawnbrokers close 59-61. Burly import Landry Sanjo also had another and-1 in the ensuing play to shove Montaña up for good 62-61, 2:47 remaining. Tangkay then sank the dagger three over two defenders for a 65-61 Montaña cushion.
TRMH-CMO riflemen Van Adam Abatayo, Jose Mari Presbitero and Abuda missfired from the rainbow country to seal the fate for the deposed titleholders in this four-team tournament sanctioned by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) 11 under Regino “Boy” Cua.
For a while it looked like TRMH-CMO, playing excellent teamwork and stingy defense to the delight of the capacity crowd at the Almendras Gym, would pull off a man-sized upset taking a 48-40 lead throough three quarters. The lead ballooned to 11, 50-41, and all of a sudden the tournament complexion changed as that is the magic number the defending champs needed to advance to the finals. However, the scrambling youngsters failed to sustain their heads-up play in the endgame and the veteran Tangkay, who finished with a game-high 25 points, simply pulled the rug from under the young guns of San Beda.
Big Boy Clavel and 6-foot-7 Landry Sanjo conspired to push Montaña to a 21-10 uprising in the final quarter to clinch the victory and advance to the finals against eliminations victim Goldstar Hardware.
Sanjo, an immovable force inside the paint, finished with 17 points. Francis Abancar had 15 points to pace TRMH-CMO.
In the second game, Goldstar relied on another ex-PBA cager Leo Najorda, who made 9 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to drub MP Zamboanga 83-71.
Cameroonian import Charles Mammie fired 18 pointsand three other Hardwaremen scored in double digits — Alvin Pasaol 14, Jay Cabañog 12, and Leomer Losentes 11.
Louie Medalla led MP with 15 points while Jay Collado and Ping Masaglang both chipped in 11.
