Sunday, July 20, 2008 Skipper powers Niños to No. 1 spot in Liga Pilipinas
TEAM skipper Danilo Aying exploded under the nose of the unsuspecting younger opponents to lead the M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños to a thrilling 82-73 win over the Pampanga Buddies to keep the No.1 slot in the Cebu leg of the 2008 Liga Pilipinas Championships at the Cebu Coliseum last Friday.
Aying scored 10 straight points when Cebu was down 13-27 and then capped his stellar performance with an aggressive second half, including two technical free throws, to give the Niños their first taste of the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Aying went 6-of-7 from the field—4-of-4 from the two-point area and 2-of-3 from the 3-point arc. He also just missed two of eight shots from the free throw line.
However, Cebu got a little help from the technical fouls slapped against the bench of Pampanga, who was always contesting the calls of the referees.
This allowed the Niños to regain their bearing after a very bad first quarter where they were outscored, 22-8.
Mark Ababon helped Aying bring life back to Cebu in the second quarter while Bruce Dacia, Stephen Padila and Marlon Basco were responsible in finishing the job.
Larry Rodriguez led Pampanga scorers with 15 points on top of 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks.
The action will shift today at the Cebu Coliseum for the leg finals.
Over at the Quezon Convention Center, the Misamis Oriental Meteors picked its first win, 79-64, over the Baguio Victory and the Quezon Red Oilers swept their elimination round assignment with a 75-73 win against the Ilocos Sur Bravehearts. (RCM)
