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Ni Ime SornitoBy ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017
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ILOILO City – Sky Cable-Iloilo clinched the crown in the 2017 Iloilo National Invitational Basketball Championship with an 86-76 win over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws-Toto Tia Ten on Monday night at the Pototan Astrodome.
Cameroonian center Rodrigue Ebondo led the way with 22 points, while Finals MVP Leomar Losentes and Leomar Najorda added 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Sky Cable-Iloilo.
“We are happy with the way my players performed against FEU. Alam namin na hahabol ang FEU and it is good na we kept our composure,” said Sky Cable-Iloilo head coach Ronjay Enrile.
Sky Cable-Iloilo started strong in the opening quarter with hits from Najorda, Losentes and Rudy Lingganay from the outside and Ebondo in the paint for a 28-17 advantage.
It kept the lead in the second frame with rare triples from Centro Escolar University Scorpions center Ebondo but the Tamaraws responded with hits from Arvin Tolentino to come to within nine points at halftime.
The Tamaraws had a strong start in the third canto with Tolentino continuing to connect from the outside to come to as close as 65-59 with conversions from Hubert Cani and Joe Trinidad.
The Tamaraws pulled even closer in the final frame at 69-67 on another triple by Tolentino. But Sky Cable-Iloilo responded with a huge finishing run on back-to-back triples by Losentes to seal the championship.
“I am contented with what we showed in this tournament. As expected, the matches are tough and it is beneficial for us since we are building our chemistry for the UAAP season,” said Tamaraws head coach Olsen Racela.
Tolentino, who transferred from the Ateneo Blue Eagles, top-scored with 28 points, including six three-point conversions, while center Prince Orizu added eight points for the Tamaraws.
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons claimed third place with a victory over the Southwestern University-Phinma Cobras in the other match on Monday.
UP’s Paul Desiderio and Bright Akhuetie, Tamaraws’ Cani, and Mark Yee and Najorda of Sky Cable-Iloilo were awarded Mythical Five plums at the end of the four-day tournament./PN
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