Showdown in CamSur
PILI, Camarines Sur — It will be top seed CamSur Express versus NCAA team University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in the finals of the Cam Sur Cup invitational basketball champioship.
The Express survived a brave stand by Kuala Lumpur Hornbills, 89-82, while No. 2 seed Altas outsteadied a hard-fighting NAASCU champion St. Clare College of Caloocan, 82-74, in their semifinal battles before another big crowd at the Fuerte Sports Complex.
The Express of team governor Solomon Ngo and coach Genesius Molto Jr. relied on the troika of Verman Magpantay, Jerome Almario, and Pete Andrei Rito to secure the win and march to the finals in this week-long competition organized by Armstrong Philippines.
Magpantay, who was named the “Best Player of the Game”, finished with 20 points, four assists, three rebounds and two block for the Express, who are also set to compete in the coming NBL season.
Almario added 15 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds, while Rito contributed 11 points and four rebounds.
Masinas chipped in 10 points and four rebounds.
Azbeel Singh Gill and Yap Zhi Wei led the losing effort of the Adrian Wong- mentored Hornbills with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
Singh also had nine rebounds while Wei had five rebounds.
Chan Yi Thung and Teoh Yi Kang contributed 13 points each.
Earlier, the Las Piñas-based Altas of coach Olsen Racela leaned on Patrick Sleat’s all-around brilliance of 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals to repeat over the Saints.
LA Casinillo, John Abis, Juan Miguel Tulabut added nine points each while Allen Maglupay and JP Boral contributed eight and seven points, respectively.
Moses Mandiria, a 6-10 find from South Sudan, and Joco Bojorcelo carried the fight for the Caloocan-based Saints of coach Jino Manansala.
Mandiria, who arrived only last week to join the Saints’ title-retention bid the NAASCU, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in only his second game with the Saints.
Bojorcelo added 12 points.
Janjan Salazar contributed 11 points and four rebounds while last year’s NAASCU “Rookie of the Year” awardee JB Lim chipped in nine points.
