By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO
STANDINGS
TEAM W L GB
CMO-TRMH LA SALLE 1 0 –
GOLDSTAR HARDWARE 1 0 –
MONTANA PAWNSHOP 0 1 1
UNIVERSITY OF VISAYAS 0 1 1
HERE’S WHAT the heart of a champion exactly does when it falls behind?
Goldstar Hardware was caught napping in the first quarter and paid dearlly for it falling 8-24 against a determined Montana Pawnshop side that still has the stigma of losing last year’s finals to the Hardwaremen.
The reigning champions, however, clawed back to life in the next two periods before coasting home for a shaky but deserving win 86-73 in the opener off the 2016 Araw ng Davao Inter-Commercial Basketball League at the Davao City Recreation Center late Wednesday night.
The upset-seeking Pawnbrokers opened with a big first quarter as Lusdoc spewed fire with 9 points and Olaga had 6 while limiting the Hardwaremen to an anemic shooting from the field with 8.
In the second period, the Harwaremen woke up from slumber and flexed their muscles hard with Refuerzo banging in 9, Stephen Collado firing 7 and last year’s most valuable player Leomar Losentes anchoring the plays and adding 4 buckets for his part. The half ended with the Hardwaremen just behind by a point, 34-35.
In the third period, Goldstar took the lead for good and never looked back from there to erect a 57-54 lead going into the final canto.
Goldstar outscored Montana 29-19 in the decisive fourth period with the veterans coming to fore as Losentes completed his game-long MVP-type performance with 9 of his 19 points for the night. Ace slotman Marlon Basco had 7 in that stretch, Collado added 4 and former MVP Jojo Tangkay sprayed three triples en route to a team-high 21-point explosion.
Olaga led the Pawnbrokers with a game-best 22, Lusdoc added 15, Hans Thiele had 13. Ace quarterback Biboy Clavel was limited to just 6.
The Hardwaremen were tied with City Mayors Office-The Royal Mandaya Hotel represented by the full complement of the UAAP contender De La Salle University with identical 1Ws while the Pawnbrokers and University of the Visayas Green Lancers are sporting 1Ls in the four-team tournament organized by the Davao City Sports Development Office for the City Government of Davao and backed up by Lipovitan Energy Drink.
The Green Archers of CMO-TRMH, inspired by the presence of co-managers Glenn Escandor and presidential aspirant Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s main man Bong Go behind the bench, demolished UV Green Lancers 95-85 in the first game. New coach Aldin Ayo steered the Green Archers along with veteran tacticians Glenn Capacio and Siot Tanquincen.
Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas rules indicate a single round robin eliminations with the top two teams after the elims fighting for the title in a winner-take-all match. Ties will be broken by quotient counting scores for and scores against.
