Basilan caps MPBL Invitational opener with Bicol win

Michael Juico

The much-anticipated matchup between Basilan and Bicol lived up to the hype on Saturday night, as former held off the latter, 70-65, in Pool B action at the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM inside the Mall of Asia Arena.

Basilan head coach Jerson Cabiltes shared post-match, "It was a hard-fought game from start to finish."

He adds, "They built a big lead at the start between the first and second quarter we were down by 15. I just told the boys not to give up and to stay with our system and to keep the pressure on. Ayun nga, buti na lang nag bunga nung dulo."

Bicol led 26-11 at that point, and Jumbo Plastic-backed side battled back to overcome the deficit.

After drawing Mark Yee's fifth foul, JR Taganas secured a split of his free throws to establish a 67-65 lead with 47.2 seconds remaining.

Another split from the from the charity stripe, this time from Jay Collado, made it a three-point game with 11.4 seconds left.

Bicol had a chance to tie the game, but Dennis Santos misfires on his three-pointer. Ernesto Bondoc would then convert on a fastbreak layup to cap scoring in the game.

Michael Juico topped Basilan with 24 points on 7/13 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the victory. Collado added fifteen points and seven rebounds, with team skipper Jonathan Uyloan contributing eleven markers, a couple of boards, and three steals.

Santos led the Volcanoes in scoring with 22 points and four rebounds, while Ralph Tansingco netted thirteen markers. Top-ranked 3x3 baller Mac Tallo finished with twelve points, three rebounds, and five assists.

It will not take long for Bicol to try to give Aldin Ayo a win in his return to five-on-five coaching, as they face Laguna on Sunday at 1pm, while Basilan takes an uncharacteristic four-day break before returning to the court on Thursday against Marikina at 5pm.

The Scores: 

Basilan (70) - Juico 24, Collado 15, Uyloan 11, Serrano 6, Reyes 4, Bondoc 4, Siruma 3, Bringas 2, Taganas 1, Gabo 0, Gimpayan 0, Manalang 0

Bicol (65) - Santos 22, Tansingco 13, Tallo 12, Cruz 5, Yee 5, Marcelino 3, Huang 3, Luib 2, Lao 0, Gabawan 0

Quarterscores: 11-20, 35-35, 51-47, 70-65.