LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – Bucking a slew of injuries to key players, defending national champion Misamis Oriental Meteors took home the championship of the Smart Liga Pilipinas Conference III Laguna leg in convincing fashion at the expense of Forward Taguig, 84-77, Saturday at the Stallions’ Gym of Trace College.
Already without guards Mark Moreno (ankle) and Lyndon Gudez (knee) who sustained injuries in the preliminary round, the Meteors’ rotation got further decimated with team captain Ramil Tagupa dislocating his right index finger in the first quarter.
Coach Jun Noel found relief in seldom-used guard Rocky Sanchez who slowly rallied the Meteors and orchestrated the come-from-behind victory.
Sanchez, a one-time National University Bulldog, capped his game-long brilliance with a three-point play at the 4:31 mark that gave the Meteors of Gov. Oscar Moreno the lead for good, 73-71.
The Meteors then clamped on defense, capitalizing on Taguig’s errors and forced shots to pull further away by the 23-second mark, 83-74.
Taguig of Mayor Freddie Tinga and coach Bing Victoria took advantage of the Meteors’ manpower woes and raced to a 26-15 lead after the opening period.
Taguig remained firmly in control as Paul Reguera and Rex Leynes launched back-to-back triples to give them the lead for the last time, 71-70, 4:47 left in the contest.