MANILA, Philippines - ML Kwarta Padala Cebu outlasted bitter rival Misamis Oriental, 78-73, to complete a three-game sweep of the elimination round in the 6th leg of the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP) Thursday at the New Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City.
Like their previous meeting, the Cebu Niños had to pass through the proverbial eye of the needle before turning back the strong challenge of the Meteors in the tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas.
For sweeping the elims, the Niños collected five points, including the two-point bonus.
But more than that, the Niños extended their winning streak to 28, dating back to the Third Conference of the Liga Pilipinas last year which they also swept.
As expected, both teams came out strong, engaging each other in a fierce shootout to the delight of another huge crowd. But in the end, the height and experience of Cebu made the difference which former pro Marlon Basco and Bruce Dacia best exemplified.
The 6-foot-5 Basco tallied 19 points and eight rebounds while Dacia added 16, including nine in the payoff period that helped repel Misamis’ last-ditch comeback.
The Niños and the Meteors are playing for the crown at presstime.
The loss snapped Misamis’ six-game winning run but coach Jun Noel promised to give their rival a better fight for the leg title.
“I’m satisfied with how we played and we’ll make some adjustments to beat them,” said Noel.
Hobe Bihon-Taguig City put on a mighty show in the final period to turn a tight contest into a 95-77 rout over Mandaue in the first game.