GOLDEN Pine Hoteliers secured their second straight victory for the season as they dispose Team Sergeross in bracket C of the on-going eliminations of the 2nd Budz Cup Invitational Basketball Tournament.
The Hoteliers escaped a gritty Sergeross and score a hard earned 75-73 win Sunday at the Easter College gym.
Former UB Cardinals top playmaker Kevin Orduña fired 15 points while Vic Manalili and Dave Stapely added 14 and 11 points, respectively, strengthening Golden Pine’s bid for a championship.
"We hope to continue this kind of performance throughout the season, it’s too early to make conclusions but if we stick with our level of play from now on we see ourselves to enter the finals," said Golden Pine playing coach Noel Balianga.
"We still need to gel our players since most of the guys are new, we still have a long way to go and that would really test how strong this team will do this time around," Balianga added.
The hoteliers closed the first period with a three-point advantage, 17-14, as Sergeross looking stiff to create baskets early from the painted area.
Sergeross then managed to take control at the 2:10 mark of the second quarter as Russel Yacat together with siblings Rey and Richard Bilibli, who also played for the UB Cardinals, stepped up their offense to gain the team’s first lead, 35-34, entering the second half.
Both teams managed to outrun each other in the third canto engaging in see-saw battle with eight lead changes before Golden Pine advance with two points at the sound of the third quarter buzzer, 54-52, behind Manalili, who scored nine points out of the quarter.
Sergeross tried to bounce back in the pay-off canto as Bilibli and Efren Mariano combined for 14 with 12 coming from the three-point area but failed.
Stapely added 12 rebounds to his game to close with a double-double as former UB Cardinals Alvin Alindoza only scored with nine points and ten rebounds.
Yacat and Richard each scored 13 points each for Sergeross as Rey capped 11 including three rebounds and three assists.
Golden Pine earlier toppled Benguet Electric Cooperative in their first match up, 99-94.