Photos courtesy of Kiko Malicdem
The Sentinels made things interesting for the Pandas in their chase for the final playoff spot in the tenth season of PExBall when they unleashed a fourth quarter onslaught to come out on top, 80-70, in the final elimination playdate on October 5 at the Cloverleaf Place Gym in Makati.
With team rep Carlo Palmares and several Panda cagers staying in the venue to await their fate, they encountered anxious moments before breathing a collective sigh of relief when the Lions put up a fight but fall short against the Walkers, 73-74.
Meanwhile, the Lightning forfeited their game against the Vanguards as they could not muster enough personnel to show up at the venue, which obligated tournament director Kiko Malicdem to award the victory to Arvy Trinidad’s wards.
The whiteshirts held the Pandas scoreless for two and a half minutes in the pivotal period as they cranked up their defense to turn a two-point gap to a 16-point bubble, 78-62, with just 2:15 remaining in the clock.
Robinson Abalos and Ed Maceda teamed up to lead their squad in scoring with 18 points apiece. The veteran also accounted for ten rebounds and seven steals, while the rookie chipped in six swipes and four assists.
Jojo Escanlar also had a double-double with 11 markers and 13 boards and Kenneth Leander had a productive afternoon with 11 while pilfering five possessions. The team had 24 steals all in all, which emphasized the effectiveness of their fullcourt pressure defense.
MJ Macapugay topscored with 22 points with Christian Sangalang and Carlo Palmares having 24 points and 21 rebounds between them. Ericson Fuertes put in ten markers and Leo Vencio contributed 13 boards, five assists, and six steals. As a team, the Pandas committed 32 turnovers.
Jeff Domingo and the Sentinels arrange a one-off against the Walkers, while black and orange-jerseyed squad has to win twice against the Wolverines to advance to the quarterfinals.
Walkers scrape past Lions
With the Pandas dropping the first game, the Lions were itching to get the win against the Walkers that would propel them to the playoffs. They were just three and some minutes short of doing that as they carried a four-point lead, 71-67, after Jeff Gonzales converted two freethrows off a foul from Jeremy dela Cruz.
Never giving up, Meynard Castillo’s wards took control as they scored the next eight points with Rian Lapizar capping the run with a basket at the 1:11 mark. A Pao Escober steal in the final minute practically sealed the Lions’ fate as Gonzales’ triple at the buzzer became a mere formality.
Escobar had MVP-like numbers, leading all scorers with 33 points, while corralling 20 rebounds, and grabbing five steals. Joey Santos also lit the scoreboard with 29.
Abeth Pinili was back to his old self in this fixture as he finished with 20 points on 8/12 field goal shooting and eight rebounds. Gonzales finished the season with 16 markers and 11 boards. Kevin Aladin chalked up 16 points, 14 caroms, and three steals.
The Lions conclude the season at 11th place, just ahead of the Lightning, which decided not to show up in their final assignment this year.
All-Star game and side events lined up on Saturday
The league takes a break for a week to make way for the annual All-Star game featuring the Dark Team coached by Renvic Catanghal of the Spartans facing the Light Team of Emer Rapin of the Wolverines. Last year, the Dark Team won against the Light Team in the inaugural All-Star match.
This year’s sidelights include the three-point shootout, the halfcourt shot, the obstacle course race, and the shooting stars event. The Pandas’ Macapugay will defend his crown in the three-point shootout, Tristan Taboac of the Packers will once again try his marksmanship from halfcourt, and defending obstacle race champion Omar Ilagan will attempt to make it two straight in the event.
The festivities will start at 3:30pm.
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