AFTER two weeks of rest from the Bankero Basketball Tournament, the Banco de Oro (BDO) squad came back with a 67-58 conquest over Security Bank (SB) during their last outing at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center.
SB, carrying a 1-3 win-loss card, started determined to conquer BDO behind Andy Lubrico, who poured a huge 19 points and the combined 25 points of Roben Laguyo and John Paul Casilao.
However, the three-man combination gave BDO the opportunity to sue for the time as they trimmed the lead to a single digit at the final quarter and eventually reversed the outcome of the match at the buzzer.
BDO’s victory bounced them back to the top of the team standing, with 3-1 record, following their heartbreaking loss to China Bank/East West Bank (CBC/EWBC) on March 7.
On the other hand, CBC/EWBC posted a 61-50 win over Valiant Bank (VB) to be on the top of the team standing.
CBC/EWBC spoiled VB try with the balanced scoring of its big men, Joel Obiña and Mark Treyes combining with 18 points alongside Hancit Bia-is scoring 7 points and Neil Palandangan with 6.
VB slotman Paolo Matthew Li pocketed 14 points and displayed domination on the boards against CBC/EWBC towering defense however was not enough to anchor the squad’s triumph after their steam ran off in the dying minutes of the final quarter. Teammate Nelson Palero, in a losing effort, also ignited with 15 points while Philip Go had 7 points including a triple.
Team Standings: (1.) CBC/EWBC, 3-1; (2.) BDO, 3-1; (3.) BPI, 2-1; (4.) VB, 2-2; (5.) SB, 1-3 (6.) DBI, 0-3.