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Monday, July 11, 2005
Mantawi swamps Oro Stars
Game Monday
Governor Angel Medina Sr. Gym
Mantawi vs Ozamiz 6pm
THE Hapee/Dewfoam-backed Mantawi Sparkling Nights rode on a big second half explosion by Ardy Larong and Ronald Capati to pull a come-from-behind 94-85 win over the CDO Stars in the 2005 Panasonic-NBC national championship at the Xavier University gym.
After missing a potential tying free throws in the dying seconds of their 89-87 loss to Cavite Insurers the last time, Larong scored 20 second half points, including 12 straight late in the third quarter, to complete Mantawi's comeback from a 15-point deficit and wrests the lead, 65-63, for the first time in the game.
Larong scored a career-best 32 points as he shot 13-of-20 from the field and 3-of-5 in the three-point territory aside from getting seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in an all-around performance that drew praises from coach Jun Noel.
"Ardy (Larong) had sleepless nights after he missed those free throws (in our last game). He promised to bounce back and he kept his words. He has a big fighting heart," coach Noel said.
Capati took over in the final quarter, including an exclamation dunk before the buzzer, to finish off his former team as he unloaded 12 points, eight straight in one stretch, to give Mantawi a seven-point cushion, 85-77, with 2:35 remaining.
The Stars of former Misamis Oriental Governor Antonio Calingin went off to a blistering start behind new recruits Balong Ramos and Ronan Isidro, who scored 14 points each in the first half, to post a 36-21 lead.
They could not, however, stopped the tandem of Larong and Capati in the second half as they fell to their third loss in four games.
Capati shrugged off foul trouble to finish with 22 points on a hot 9-of-13 shooting while logging in four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Forward Marvin Tundag also logged in 13 and seven rebounds.
The 5-foot-11 Ramos filled in the shoes of quick-cat guard Julius Navales, who figured in the historic first trade of the league for Valencia Golden Harvest's 6-foot-4 Ismael Culdora, with 26 markers, 13-of-19 from the field, on top of seven boards, three assists and one steal. Isidro added 22 and nine rebounds.
The Sparkling Nights shot a season-high 53% (34-of-64) to score their fourth win in five games in the tournament supported by Panasonic, Sulpicio Lines, Spring Cooking Oil, Accel, Molten, Nature's Spring, Far Eastern Insurance, Skygo Motorcycles, Sirlitz Solutions Provider, Hapee Toothpaste, Dewfoam Corp., KSK Food Products (Boy Bawang), Bayview Park Hotel and Holiday Plaza-Cebu.
The Ozamiz Cotta (6-2) will try to wrest the southern conference lead from the Sparkling Nights when they face 6pm today at the Governor Angel Medina Sr. gym.
NBC games are aired over National Broadcasting Network every 4pm Sunday and on Prime Channel 2pm and 8:30 pm daily.
(July 11, 2005 issue)
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