D-LEAGUE: HAPEE BOOKS FINALS SEAT
Happy days are here again as Hapee booked the first ticket to the 2015 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Finals with a 69-56 drubbing of CafeFrance Monday at The Arena in San Juan.
Sticking with his veterans all game long, the Fresh Fighters used a strong third quarter surge, opening the period with a 10-2 tear to take a 45-38 edge. They continued that domination in the fourth, leading by as much as 16, 69-53, inside the final two minutes as Garvo Lanete iced the game at the free throw line.
“I thought that the players were too excited and CafeFrance took advantage of that. Minsan pag player ka, gusto mo matapos agad. The halftime break gave them a chance to think and take off that baggage inside their heads,” said Hapee coach Ronnie Magsanoc, as the Fresh Fighters bucked a slow first half to sweep the semifinal series against the Bakers.
Bobby Ray Parks once again paced Hapee with his 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Garvo Lanete added 12 markers and seven boards.
“Gabo is the veteran leader. When the going gets tough, we will bank on Gabo,” Magsanoc said of his starting guard.
Ola Adeogun also had 12 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
Samboy de Leon topped CafeFrance with his 15 points and six rebounds, but he failed to make a basket in the second half. Maverick Ahanmisi also had 12 markers and five boards in the loss.
In the first game, Cagayan Valley fought to live another day.
Embarrassed in their Game 1 encounter, the top-seed Rising Suns forced a winner-take-all game, turning back Cebuana Lhuillier, 98-93, and setting up a thrilling finish to their best-of-3 semifinal series.
Moala Tautuaa bounced back from a sorry Game 1 performance, dropping eight of his career-high tying 26 points in the payoff period, all of which were big baskets to secure the win for Cagayan Valley.
He also had 13 rebounds and five assists in the victory.
“When we got hit in the mouth and fell by 26 in Game 1, that’s uncalled for. It was a wake up call for us, for sure. We fixed things out, and we have to get prepared for Game 3,” the 6-foot-7 Fil-Tongan said.
Michael Mabulac also had a stellar outing, chiming in a double-double with his 16 markers and 10 boards, as Abel Galliguez also got 16.
Don Trollano had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Andrian Celada nabbed 11 in the Game 2 win.
Despite controlling majority of the game, Cagayan Valley coach Alvin Pua still expressed his dismay with how his wards allowed the opposition to climb back from a 13-point deficit.
“Pag nakakaamoy ng lamang na ganun, nagrerelax eh,” the mercurial coach said, as he shifts his focus to the series clincher on Thursday.
“Everybody’s ball game yan. Kailangan lang namin ma-dominate yung boards, kasi si Moala lang ang number one option namin na malaki, athletic, at sumusupalpal,” Pua added.
Tautuaa stamped his class down low, as he anchored the Rising Suns to outrebound Cebuana, 48-39, and score with ease in the shaded lane, 50-28.
Game 3 of this heated matchup between Cebuana Lhuillier and Cagayan Valley is set on Thursday, 3 p.m., still at The Arena in San Juan. (RL)
The Scores:
First Game:
Cagayan Valley 98 – Tautuaa 26, Mabulac 16, Galliguez 16, Trollano 13, Celada 11, Melano 8, Dilay 6, Austria 2, Santos 0, Salamat 0, Tayongtong 0.
Cebuana Lhuillier 93 – Zamar 15, Vosotros 15, Bautista 11, Torres 10, A. Mangahas 9, Ferrer 9, Enciso 6, Guinto 6, Villahermosa 5, Lopez 5, Acibar 2, Banal 0.
Quarters: 27-20, 54-45, 78-70, 98-93.
Second Game:
Hapee 69 – Parks 19, Adeogun 12, Lanete 12, Rosario 7, Newsome 7, Dela Cruz 4, Amer 2, Elorde 2, Long 2, Hayes 2.
CafeFrance 56 – De Leon 15, Ahanmisi 12, Alolino 7, Ebondo 7, Cortes 6, Galanza 4, Sedurifa 4, Batino 1, Jeruta 0, Celso 0, Abundo 0, Noble 0, Andrada 0.
Quarters: 20-17, 35-36, 53-45, 69-56.
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