Games Thursday
(Ynares Sports Arena)
11 a.m. – Batangas-EAC vs CEU
1 p.m. – Che’Lu Bar and Grill vs AMA
Marinerong Pilipino stopped erstwhile streaking Che’Lu Bar and Grill dead on its tracks with a vengeful 91-83 victory yesterday in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup action at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Fil-Am guard Rob Manalang made his usual damage on the offensive end with 19 points, 12 of them coming from beyond the arc, while Jorey Napoles and Gilas cadet member Abu Tratter frolicked in the lane as the rejuvenated Skippers gave the Revellers a perfect dose of their own medicine.
Aside from avenging an 88-71 defeat back in the first round and preventing Che’Lu Bar and Grill from clinching the first playoff spot, Marinerong Pilipino racked up its second straight victory and fourth overall in seven matches, moving up to solo third.
“We talked about it that if we want to be consistent and if ever we have to go through the eye of a needle, we will go through that. We will take everybody with us and we will no leave anybody behind,” said Skippers coach Koy Banal, who got a combined 32 points and 25 rebounds from Napoles and Tratter.
Che’Lu Bar and Grill’s loss—its second overall and which snapped its win-run at five straight—ended up as a big gain for Go for Gold, which took a share of the top spot anew following a merciless 135-91 beating of hapless AMA Online Education earlier.
Eric Pili led their offensive assault with 25 points, spiked by five triples, while big man Matt Salem became just the sixth player in league history to record a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the Scratchers displayed the sharp form expected from them over the sluggish Titans.
“They knew they played poorly in our last two games and we deserved to get our butts kicked. They didn’t want to play and took those games for granted,” said Go for Gold coach Charles Tiu, still expressing his frustrations over their back-to-back losses.
“But when the guys want to take the game seriously, they can really get the job done. But I just felt they disrespected our opponents last time and that’s what happens when you take teams for granted.”
Big man Andre Paras came up with 23 points and 14 rebounds but hardly gained any strong support from his fellow Titans as AMA Online Education made another early exit with its seventh straight setback.
