MANILA – Boracay Islanders fell short of its upset axe on Davao Occidental Tigers with a 73-71 defeat in the do-or-die quarterfinals of the 2023 Pilipinas Super League Dumper Cup on Wednesday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga.
John Marion Wilson delivered the go-ahead basket for the Tigers as he scored on a tough layup with 17 seconds left that turned a 70-71 deficit to a 72-71 advantage for Davao Occidental.
The Islanders had a chance to snatch the lead but Damian Lasco fumbled on his basket attempt before Wilson split his charities to give Davao Occidental a 73-71 advantage with two seconds left.
Wilson finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds, Negrense Robby Celiz had double-double 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Larry Rodriguez contributed 10 markers for the Tigers.
The defending champions Tigers completed the semifinals casts of the tournament and they will face no. 3 seed Pampanga Royce in the best-of-three series. The other series featured San Juan Kings and Pampanga G Lanterns.
From a 37-all score after two quarters, the Tigers created separation in the third quarter behind inside connections by Wilson, Celiz and Kyt Jimenez as they took a 55-47 advantage.
The Islanders opened the fourth quarter with baskets from Mark Cardona and Johnsherick Estrada to cut the deficit to 53-57 but the Tigers answered with hits from Rodriguez and Wilson for a 65-60 lead.
Boracay made another rally on a completed three-point play by Cardona, an inside hit by Lasco and a three-pointer from Cardona to tie the score at 68-all with two minutes remaining.
Davao Occidental surged ahead at 70-68 on a layup by Wilson with 29 seconds left in the contest but Cardona surged Boracay ahead for the last time at 71-70 with a three-pointer.
Cardona tallied 22 points, including three three-point conversions, Estrada had a near triple-double of 14 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Jaymar Gimpayan had double-double 10 points and 15 rebounds for Boracay.
BOX SCORE:
DAVAO OCCIDENTAL 73 – Wilson 19, Celiz 13, Rodriguez 10, Agovida 9, Jimenez 6, Calo 4, Subido 4, Dagangon 3, Abundo 3, Balagtas 2, Talampas 0.
BORACAY 71 – Cardona 22, Estrada 14, Gimpayan 10, Lasco 8, Mallari 6, Sablan 5, Faundo 4, Penaredondo 2, Hayes 0.
Quarterscores: 17-18, 37-37, 55-47, 73-71./PN
