THE Sherilin Gremlinz will try to unseat the reigning champions Artera Builders in the Metro Cebu Basketball League (MCBL) Season 9 finals after the two powerhouse squads ousted their respective foes in the semifinals on March 9, 2024 at the Roadstar Gym.
Sherilin routed the ARQ Builders, 95-77, in a battle between two former MCBL champions, while Artera bested JPT, 104-92.
The Gremlinz of businessman Richard Mercado and Artera will battle in a winner-take-all championship game on Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m. at the Cebu City Sports Institute.
ARQ actually got off to a fantastic start and led 22-20 after the first. However, Sherilin retaliated with a 34-19 blast in the second to go up by 13, 54-41, at halftime. ARQ cut the deficit down to single digits in the fourth but Sherilin had an answer for every single comeback attempt, to hold ARQ at bay until the final buzzer.
Eman Villamor came up big for Sherilin, scoring 25 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Mark Solonia had 16 points and nine boards, while EJ Conahap had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Noel Canedo and Demian Mosch had 10 points each for the Gremlinz.
Meanwhile, Artera found its second wind in the fourth, pulling away in that stretch to nab the victory and a return ticket to the championship game.
Up by one, 77-76, Artera hit big shots in the fourth to outsteady its opponents.
Dennis dela Cerna scored 20 points for Artera, while Rumar Ponce added 19 markers. Jeff Gudes had 14 points and six assists. / JNP