Game Thursday
(Hagonoy Gym, Taguig City)
6 p.m. – Taguig Generals vs. Kyusi@80
Kyusi@80 bucked a sluggish start and frustrated a determined Batang Maynila side,109-104, in their winner-take-all semifinal duel on Tuesday in the Metro League 24-Under Men’s Basketball tournament at the Vista Real Classica Gym in Quezon City.
The win enabled the Mayor Joy Belmonte-backed QC squad to advance to the best-of-three title series against playoffs top seed Taguig which begins Thursday at the Hagonoy Gym.
The Generals, which topped the classification round with a 7-1 record, was first to advance to the Finals, needing just one game to eliminate fourth-ranked Makabagong San Juan, 84-75, Friday last week at the San Andres Gym.
Kyusi@80 unleashed a 23-4 run in the second period with combo guard Nathaniel Lopez carrying the scoring load, scoring most of his 19 first half points en route to a tournament-best 32 points.
Lopez bounced back from a letdown in Kyusi@80’s 107-109 double overtime loss in their first semifinal meeting last Tuesday where he fouled out early in the regulation, by shooting the lights out this time & connecting on six of his seven three-point attempts. He also proved to be a thorn on Manila’s offense after recording four steals and two shotblocks.
The scores:
Kyusi@80 109 – Lopez 32, Acosta 26, Udjan 10, Junsay 10, Salazar 8, Castillo 8, Moralejo 5, Ybanez 4, Penaga 2, Digno 2, Sabalza 2.
Batang Maynila 104 – Chongpico 25, Ingles 20, Gatchalian 16, Alaticca 14, Lescano 12, Canelas 11, Balbuena 4, Tolentino 2, Salting 0, Ferrer 0.
Quarters: 17-21, 54-44. 78-65, 109-104.
