MisOr, M Lhuillier duel in Liga final

GINGOOG CITY, Philippines – Host Misamis Oriental Meteors and archrival M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos tallied easy wins Thursday night to arrange a championship duel for the Smart Liga Pilipinas Conference III Misamis Oriental Leg at the Arturo S. Lugod Memorial Sports and Cultural Center.

The Meteors of Gov. Oscar Moreno and coach Jun Noel disposed of Cebu Landmaster-Mandaue, 77-55, while the Ninos of Michel Lhuillier and coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba toyed with the MP Warriors of GenSan, 90-69. Both winners tote similar 2-0 win-loss cards and are beyond reach of the other two teams at 0-2.

The one-game leg championship will be played tonight at the Xavier University Gym starting at 6 p.m., a reprise of last conference’s National Finals won by the Meteors in five games, 3-2. In the first game at 4 p.m., Landmaster and the Warriors will dispute Third Place.

The Meteors stormed to a 24-10 advantage after the first period and never looked back. Landmaster of Joe Soberano and coach Jun Tan sorely missed team leader Jercules Tangkay, who sat out the game after scattering 19 points the other day against the Ninos.

Eder Saldua sizzled with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Meteors. Philip Butel and Patrick Cabahug backed him up with 13 points apiece. Alex Cainglet bounced back from a scoreless first game to pump in 14 markers in the losing effort.