By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Today
(Caloocan Sports Complex)
7 p.m. – Quezon City vs Batangas City
9 p.m. – Caloocan vs Navotas
The 5-foot-11 Acidre fired 19 points, all but one of them coming from beyond the arc, and came through with a huge steal in the waning moments to help the Classic complete their late charge over the fading Cagers infront of a sizeable Bataan People’s Center crowd.
Former Arellano stalwart Adrian Celada added 14 points while undersized big man Jeff Javillonar collected 11 points and 10 rebounds as Valenzuela racked up its second straight win and fifth overall in seven starts, tying idle Quezon City in the process.
Former pro Chito Jaime sizzled with 23 points on top of 13 rebounds and two steals while Dave Moralde chipped in 15 points in a losing cause for Muntinlupa, which led by as many as 13 in the first half, only to run out of steam in the crunch.
As a result, the Cagers suffered their second consecutive loss and dropped down to 3-4 in a tie with Parañaque Patriots, who spoiled the Bataan Defenders’ homecoming behind a thrilling 74-71 victory.
Former University of Santo Tomas standout Jemaal Vizcarra continued his fine play for Parañaque with a game-high 21 points but it was guard Ryusei Koga who came through with the go-ahead triple that shattered a 71-all count with 22 seconds to play.
Bataan had a several chances to tie things up, but Al Carlos’ repeated attempts failed to go in, leaving the Defenders – and their faithful – ruing a blown chance as their bid to stretch their winning streak to three came to a painful end.
Former pro league star Gary David had a team-high 19 points on a paltry 5-of-23 shooting from the field while four other teammates scored at least 10 points that all went down the drain as the Defenders slipped down to 2-5.