By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Tuesday
(Batangas City Coliseum)
7 p.m. – Caloocan vs Rizal
9 p.m. – Batangas City vs Makati
Visiting Laguna Heroes gave host Navotas Clutch a perfect dose of their own medicine for an impressive 74-61 victory on Friday night in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Anta Datu Cup at the Navotas Sports Complex.
Raymond Ilagan provided a big lift off the bench with 18 points and nine rebounds while Ralf Olivarez added 15 points and Michael Mabulac had 13 points as the Heroes dominated the erstwhile unscathed Clutch in the second half for a strong follow-up to an 83-75 win over the reeling Pasig Pirates last June 26.
It was Laguna’s pressing defense, however, that did the trick as Navotas could only score 24 points in the decisive half after a strong start which saw the Clutch enjoy a lead as high as 10 points.
“I keep on telling my players that basketball is a game of runs, but defense will always be the key for us to win,” said Heroes coach Alex Angeles, impressed no end with how his wards held their rivals down to just 29 percent shooting clip.
Not to be outdone were the formidable Bataan Risers, who stopped the erstwhile rampaging Davao Occidental Tigers, 91-88, for their second straight victory.
Former pro Pamboy Raymundo sizzled with 21 points while gunner Byron Villarias came off the bench and produced 11 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer that put the Risers ahead for good, 79-77, with 2:20 left to play.
The solid win came on the heels of an 81-67 win over inaugural season champion Batangas City last June 27, enabling Bataan to forge a three-way tie with Navotas and Mandaluyong from third to fifth spots in the North Division.
“I’d like to believe that we’re playing better,” said Risers coach Jojo Lastimosa. “But we still have a lot of things to improve, particularly on the defensive end. I was surprised at how good Davao Occidental is as a team. They really gave us a tough time.”
