Cebu city Mayor's Cup hoop aces shock Bolts; close in on crown

CEBU, Philippines - Games today 5 pm Powerade  vs. Meralco7 pm Alaska  vs. M. Lhuillier

The Alaska Aces preyed on the import-less Meralco Bolts to hack out a masterful 97-80 victory and move a win away from clinching the championship of the Cebu City Mayor's Cup Basketball Invitational last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

With a clean 2-0 slate, the Aces need only to beat the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños in their 7 p.m. encounter today to snatch the title of the three-day tournament bankrolled by the city government of Cebu under the leadership of Mayor Michael Rama.

It was a smooth-sailing demolition for the Aces as they were never threatened after closing the first period with a 17-point advantage, 32-15.

Eddie Basden had 17 points, while former Southwestern University Baby Cobra Cyrus Baguio banged in 16 points for the Aces, who closed the first half with a 49-33 lead.

The Aces sustained their sizzling run in the final half, mounting as much as

22 points lead, the last was at 79-57 on Mark Borboran's basket with still eight minutes left to play.

The Bolts trimmed the deficit to only eight points, 77-85, but that was the best they could muster as the Aces ended the match with a 12-3 blast for the 17-point romp.

Three other Alaska players cashed in double figures underscoring their balanced offensive. Lewis Andrew Tenorio had 12 points, while Anthony de la Cruz and Borboran netted 11 and 10 markers, respectively.

Marc Cardona topped the Bolts with 25 points, Yusif Aljamal and Cris Ross had 12 points apiece.

The scores

Alaska (97) - Basden 17, Baguio 16, Tenorio 12, Dela Cruz 11, Borboran 10,

Thoss 8, Devance 8, Custodio 6, Burstcher 4, Hugnatan 3

Meralco (80) - Cardona 25, Aljamal 12, Ross 12, Isip 11, Weinstein 6, Bugia 5, Espinas 4, Gamalinda 4, Rodriguez 1 (FREEMAN)