IT will be Dumaguete against Lapu-Lapu-ARQ Builders in a do-or-die encounter for a semifinal ticket in the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Vis-Min Cup basketball tournament at the Alcantara Sports Center in Cebu.

The fifth-seed Dumaguete leaned on the hot hands of Jaybie Mantilla and Ronald Roy to bring down fourth-ranked Tabogon, 67-65, in overtime in the stepladder playoffs of this first-ever professional league in the Visayas and Mindanao sponsored by Chooks-to-Go and sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

With the win, Dumaguete earned the right to take on the Lapu-Lapu-ARQ in another do-or-die game on Sunday for the last semifinals ticket.

Led by Reed Juntilla and Dawn Ochea, Lapu-Lapu kept its hopes alive by edging Tubigon Bohol, 73-69.

The winner of the Dumaguete-Lapu-Lapu encounter will earn the right to meet Mandau City-KCS Computer Specialistin the semifinals.

Mantilla, Roy, and Mark Doligon finished with double-double performances for Dumaguete in the league’s very first game that went into overtime.

Mantilla, a former CESAFI MVP, came through with a monster game of 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 37 minutes.

Doligon contributed 17 markers, 10 boards, two dimes, a steal, and a block, while Roy, a 5-foot-10 guard out of Marikina, added 11 points and 12 boards.

“We’re all very tired but we still need to focus on Sunday’s game so we can’t relax,” said Mantilla, a University of San Jose-Recoletos product.

“We need to fight to win or we’re all going home.”

Roy nailed a tie-breaking triple to put Dumaguete ahead, 66-63 with 1:37 left.

And after Jethro Sombero and Harold Arboleda split their trips to the charity stripe to make it 65-66, Mantilla hit a technical free throw with seven seconds remaining.

Tabogon still had an opportunity but Arboleda badly missed a three-pointer while Arvie Bringas flubbed his fadeaway jumper as time expired.

Earlier, Ochea and Juntilla hit the big shots as the Heroes finally slammed the door on the Mariners in their own stepladder playoffs.

Ochea topscored with 21 points, while Juntilla added 16 points for the Heroes, who led by as much as 17 points, 53-36, with three minutes left in the third canto.

The Mariners, however, refused to give up.

Tubigon Bohol kept chipping away and was able to pull to within four, 61-65, after a short hook shot by Pari Llagas, 2:20 remaining in the match.

But Ochea grabbed a miss by Juntilla, drew a foul, and made two free throws to give Lapu-Lapu some breathing room.

Juntilla then made baskets on consecutive possessions to put the Heroes up by 10, 71-61, with 1:01 left.

Back-to-back baskets by Jerry Musngi made it 65-71, before Ochea sealed the victory with an undergoal stab off a nice bounce pass from Hafer Mondragon.

The scores:

First game
ARQ Lapu-Lapu (73)– Ochea 21, Juntilla 16, Senining 10, Tangkay 10, Berame 6, M. Arong 2, Abad 2, Mondragon 2, Regero 2, Galvez 0.
Bohol (69) — Llagas 22, Marquez 12, Casera 10, Leonida 9, Musngi 8, Ibarra 6, Tilos 2, Tangunan 0, Dadjilul 0.
Quarterscores: 20-10, 39-30, 57-44, 73-69.

Second game
Dumaguete (67) — Mantilla 24, Doligon 17, Roy 11, Gabas 7, Regalado 4, Monteclaro 2, Tomilloso 2, Velasquez 0, Aguilar 0.
Tabogon (65)– Bringas 18, Lacastesantos 10, Orquina 8, Sombero 8, Delos Reyes 7, Arboleda 5, Vitug 3, Diaz 2, Bersabal 2, De Ocampo 2, Caballero 0.
Quarterscores: 17-15, 31-28, 47-38, 59-59, 67-65.