San Juan pounces on Sarangani in MPBL Invitational

Jason Melano

San Juan-Go for Gold AICC snatched its second win at the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM on Monday night, defeating Sarangani, 91-72 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The duo of Jhonard Clarito and Jason Melano dominated for the Knights, as they combined for 28 points and 27 rebounds against the Marlins.

San Juan broke the game open in the second half, establishing a ten-point lead at the end of the third quarter, then extending it to as much as nineteen in the final period.

Head coach Randy Alcantara shared afterwards, "Number one is our defense plus naexecute namin yung offense saka yung mga beterano na leader namin napupush talaga yung mga bata na alam mo yung pag sinabing San Juan basketball talagang dapat dikdikin mo sa depensa plus yung offense mo darating 'yan 'wag mo hanapin so ayun yung nangyari ngayon."

He adds, "Nung first quarter kasi parang gigil lahat umiscore e, tumira so nung second half nabago namin. Nung start ng second quarter nabago namin. Gumana yung depensa namin sa poste, transition, mismatches lahat yun nakita namin."

Arvin Gamboa added twelve points and seven rebounds, whilst Rhenz Abando contributing five rebounds and four blocks to add to his ten free throws.

Orlan Wamar, who starred in their opener with 27 points, only netted five this time around, but he did notch three assists alongside five boards.

As for Sarangani, the trio of Marvin Lee, Gabby Espinas, and Macky Acosta each scored fourteen points.

Both teams will be facing Muntinlupa next, with the Marlins seeking to end their skid on Wednesday and the Knights hoping to maintain their undefeated record on Friday.

The Scores:

San Juan (91) - Melano 14, Clarito 14, Gamboa 12, Abando 10, Wamar 9, Hernandez 8, Isit 7, Rodriguez 6, Calma 6, Abundo 5, Manzo 0, Buñag 0

Sarangani (72) - Espinas 14, Acosta 14, Lee 14, Ludovice 11, Sanga 7, Sta. Ana 6, Basibas 3, Munsayac 3, Sarangay 0, Marilao 0, Monteclaro 0, Bautista 0

Quarterscores: 19-20, 35-28, 62-52, 91-72