By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Monday
(Pasig City Sports Center)
2 p.m. – Gamboa Coffee Mix-St. Clare vs Go for Gold
4 p.m. – Che’Lu Bar and Grill-San Sebastian vs Perpetual
Consider that as a moral victory.
Although they failed to get the job done in a 94-92 loss to loaded Marinerong Pilipino last Thursday night, Zark’s Burgers coach Topex Robinson is still brimming with confidence that his wards can only get better moving forward in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
Robinson stuck to the positives that they could gain after the Jawbreakers fought their way back from a 17-point deficit in the second half and gave the favored Skippers all they could handle until the closing seconds.
“The reason we joined the D-League is to learn and grow,” he stressed. “What I like the most is the way we fought back 17 points down against a veteran and well-coached team. I’m proud of how the boys fought. And that’s a big win for us.”
However, Zark’s Burgers could have stolen the victory had the Jawbreakers, built around the core of NCAA finalist Lyceum Pirates, showed more poise in executing their offensive sets and locking it down on the other end.
Down by two – 87-85 – with less than two minutes to play, the Jawbreakers had a pair of chances to tie – or even take the lead – but Cameroon big man Mike Nzeusseu and star guard CJ Perez saw their three-point tries miss.
In the ensuing possession, Zark’s Burgers guard JV Marcelino appeared too eager to make a defensive stop that he struggled to stop his momentum in fouling a jump-shooting Marinero counterpart Rian Ayonayon behind the arc.
Ayonayon made the Jawbreakers pay a stiff price for such mental lapse as he sank two of his three free throws, stretching the Skippers’ lead to four with 25.6 left to play.
Off a timeout sued by Robinson, the Jawbreakers came up anew, with Perez missing another three-point try that forced teammate MJ Ayaay to give up his sixth and final foul to Skippers big man Gab Banal.
