Pepito shines as Landmasters survives Raphael’s Café scare

CEBU, Philippines - Lanky center Charles Pepito scored four crucial points capped by an undergoal stab with 1.5 seconds left in the contest to lift the undermanned Cebu Landmasters-USC Warriors to a nerve-wracking 79-78 win over Raphael's Cafe/USJ-R Jaguars in the Enervon CESAFI Partner's Cup 2013 men's basketball tournament last Tuesday night at the Cebu Coliseum.

Trailing by as much as 12 points in the third quarter, 50-62, the Cebu Landmasters slowly gained strength in the final canto where they never allowed Raphael's Cafe to post another double-digit lead.

Interestingly, it was also Pepito who hit a bigtime shot underneath the basket that pulled the Cebu Landmasters to within just a hairline, 77-78, with only 32 ticks left before the final buzzer.

In that sequence, Raphael's Cafe had a chance to seize the lead but Wilkins Sanchez missed a hastily done floater just below the foul line.

After Stephen Que grabbed the rebound, he quickly lobbed the ball to Pepito, who was left alone at undergoal for the marginal basket that gave the Cebu Landmasters a 2-2 win-loss record in a tie with San Marino Tuna.

"We were undermanned, but I told my players to just keep the game close so we can have a chance of winning. It would have been different story if we trailed by 20 points, but I'm happy they managed to come up with that crucial win," said Landmasters coach Julian Macoy.

Pepito led the Cebu Landmasters with 18 points, while Que and Ian Ortega chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively.

Christian Parker had 14 points for Raphael's Cafe, which further languished at the cellar without a win in four starts. (FREEMAN)

The scores

Cebu Landmasters (79) - Pepito 18,  Que 12, Ortega 10, Magat 8, Duran 6, Seno 6, Romaguera 6, Rabat 4, Ypil 4, Adlawan 3, Guardario 2

Raphael's Cafe (78) - C. Parkers 14, Silay 11, Sanchez 7, M. Parker 7, Lajato 7, Rosell 6, Bayhonan 5, Cinco 4, Diaz 4, C. Senining 3, Villarosa 2, Regalado 2, Zosa 2, Bancale 2

Halftime: 32-43