THE M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños added another feather to their cap following a one-sided 99-75 bashing over the Pagadian Explorers in the championship game of the 2008 Liga Pilipinas Championships Tour Ilolilo leg elimination at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City.
Cebu started the game 14-2 and never looked back en route to collecting its final tour elimination trophy.
Cebu finished the Tour with 49 points to secure the No.1 spot, the automatic quarterfinals slot and the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs phase.
The Niños also won the Ilocos Sur, Pagadian and Cebu legs of the championship series.
Pagadian also finished the Tour elimination on a bright note. The Explorers now have 36 points to occupy the temporary second place and has a good chance of getting an automatic slot to the quarterfinals.
“I challenged the players to show that we are the better team and we can win against Pagadian. Also we wanted to make a statement in our final leg for confidence building,” Cebu coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba told Sun.Star Cebu.
Over in Tagaytay City, Taguig Batang Global subdued the Lipa/Batangas Barakos, 92-91.
Taguig also finished its elimination round campaign with 35 points to occupy third place.
After suffering their worst defeat in the conference from the hands of the Explorers last Wednesday, 91-80, the Niños swept their remaining games to win their fourth leg title.
Stephen Padilla, who was firing hot from the 3-point area all tournament long was named the leg’s Best Player as he entered the finals with a 17.3-point average and sank 20-of-46 from the arc attempts.
Bigger battle
“The win was a confidence building for us going to the playoffs. Now we can rest and prepare for the bigger battle ahead of us,” Alcoseba said.
Meanwhile, Iloilo salvaged the third place following a 95-84 win over the Quezon Red Oilers, while Misamis Oriental Meteors won third place in the Tagaytay leg after beating home squad Tagaytay/Cavite Heroes, 77-76.
Liga Pilipinas will enter its final week of tour eliminations with the Baguio Victory and Trace Laguna Stallions taking over as
hosts.
In Baguio City, the Victory will play Lipa Barakos, Iloilo Mang Inasals and the Zamboanga Amores while in Los Baños, the Laguna Stallions will defend their turf against the Smart Pampanga Buddies, Ilocos Sur Brave Hearts and the Tagaytay/Cavite Heroes. (RCM)
