Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Jewelers draw first blood
THE multi-titled M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu City Jewelers are just one win away from clinching their second Mindanao-Visayas Basketball Association title as they drew the first blood in their best of three championships last Sunday at the Xavier University Gym.
The Jewelers defeated the Holcim Pryce Pharma-Misor, 87-75, to take a 1-0 lead in the Second Conference finals.
The Visayas Division champion banked on a pivotal third quarter run to subdue the hard fighting Mindanao champion, who were also backed by a huge partisan crowd.
Today, the Jewelers will try to wrap up the series, while MisOr will try to live for another day at the Cebu Coliseum at 6 p.m.
The Jewelers were protecting a slim lead in the entire first half and were given a scare in the next four minutes of the third as Rocky Sanchez tied the game at 51 for MisOr.
However, that proved to be the final hurrah of the host squad as the Jewelers went on an 18-2 blitz to break the game wide open.
Again, Stephen Padilla was a man possessed for the Yayoy Alcoseba-coached MLKP-Cebu City as he scattered 23 points on top of five triples, while power forward Danny Aying and point guard Woodrow Enriquez added 13 points each.
However, in today’s game Enriquez is a doubtful starter after the diminutive former Cebu Doctors’ College White Stallion suffered an injury on his left shoulder that had him out for the final 14:42 of the game.
Mindanao MVP Gilbert Demape led the losing MisOr quintet with 16 points, while Dondon Mendoza added 11. (RCM)
