By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
CEBU SHARKS survived a comeback attempt by Iloilo United Royals, 69-68, in an action packed thriller of the 2019 MPBL Lakan Cup on July 15, 2019, at Valenzuela Astrodome.
Coach Eric Gonzales’ run-and-gun tactic worked efficiently in the opening canto as the United Royals scampered every time they grabbed the defensive boards. Their fast start helped them establish an 18-12 lead in the opening quarter.
Cebu shifted their attack in the second period by punishing Iloilo in the paint.
William Mcaloney and Victor Nuñez commanded the shaded area for the Sharks as they scored either an easy lay-up or fished a foul.
Ring and venue familiarity became a factor as both teams struggled to connect with their shots, resulting in a low scoring half at 32-32.
At the start of the second half, Patrick Cabahug went to work, toying every United Royal defender as he scored 8 straight points to spark up Cebu.
Despite Cabahug’s hot shooting, Iloilo still led 50-48, behind Samboy De Leon’s superb scoring.
Cebu looked to pull away in the final frame as they got major contributions from the consistent shooting of Rhaffy Octobre, giving his team the lead 61-53.
After a timeout, Iloilo started to score right away with a de Leon three-pointer, then all of a sudden he blitzed on a run of his own, scoring 7 straight points to cut Cebu’s lead to just a single point.
The Iloilo squad got momentum back easily as Al Francis Tamsi and Eric Rodriguez both hit three pointers of their own which resulted in 66-66 deadlock.
Then things happened very quickly.
With 50 seconds left in the game, De Leon hit a picturesque fade away shot against Cabahug, giving the United Royals the lead, 66-68.
In Cebu’s turn to attack, a beautiful pick and roll play by Cabahug and Mcaloney resulted in the latter scoring off a layup plus a trip to the charity line after being fouled.
With 2 seconds left in the clock, Iloilo still had the chance to win the game but Tamsi missed the clutch three-point attempt.
With the win, Cebu improved to 3-3 while Iloilo fell to 3-2.
Scores:
Cebu- Mcaloney 15, Octobre 11, Lao 9, Cabahug 8, Nuñez 7, Cenita 5, Poligrates 2, Viloria 2
Iloilo- De Leon 20, Escoto 11, Tamsi 9, Jeruta 8, Mahari 7, Gumaru 6, Rodriguez 4
