Blades subdue Stars for second straight win

Reigning national champion LBC Batangas nipped Pampanga, 78-77, Tuesday night in the MBA First Conference at the CEU Centrodome in Malolos City.

Tonyboy Espinosa nailed a triple and Eddie Laure scored on a drive in the last 44 seconds as the Blades completed a recovery from as many as 11 points down in the third quarter.

After Laure handed the Blades the lead with 26.6 seconds left, the Stars missed three attempts before Jeffrey Sanders collared the defensive rebound that sealed LBC Batangas’ second straight win after two successive losses. Sanders wound up with 24 points while Laure snared 13 rebounds.

With their fifth loss against a lone win, the Stars joined the Casino Cagayan de Oro Amigos in the cellar.

The Amigos hope to gain ground on the Stars as they play the RCPI Negros Slashers at the resumption of action at the Mindanao Polytechnic State Colleges gym today.

On Saturday, the MBA holds four games in two venues. At the Mindanao Polytechnic gym are the Slashers and Professional Davao Eagles battle at 3 p.m. then the LBC Batangas Blades and the Amigos clash at 6. At the CEU Centrodome, Osaka Pangasinan Waves tackles the Olongapo Volunteers at 1 p.m. then the Cebuana Lhuillier agai Pampanga Stars at 3:30 p.m.

These games were originally slated Sunday.

The Centrodome games will be telecast live over National Broadcasting Network 4 at 6-11 p.m. while the Polytechnic games will be shown Sunday from 1-6 p.m.

Meanwhile, RCPI Negros shoots for the solo lead when it tackles Casino CDO at 6 p.m. today at the Mindanao Polytechnic Gym.

RCPI Negros is on a three-game roll and another victory today would push it past Olongapo and Cebuana Lhuillier.