Star repels Hobe, boosts semis bid

MANILA, Philippines - STAR Group of Publications brought down erstwhile unbeaten Hobe Bihon, 89-79, to stay in the hunt for one of the two outright semifinal berths in the MBL-Invitational basketball championship at the RTU gym in Mandaluyong City Thursday.

Jong Bondoc, Virgilio Roque, Dennis Rodriguez and Lester Reyes provided the firepower for the Starmen, who seized control in the middle quarters before thwarting Hobe Bihon’s repeated rallies down the stretch.

Bondoc bucked Hobe’s tough defense as he fired 19 points while Roque, Rodriguez and Reyes added 17, 16 and 15 points, respectively, for Star Group, which closed out its elimination round campaign with a 5-3 win-loss slate.

Hobe still led the field with a 5-1 mark while defending champion Wang’s Ballclub totes a 5-2 card.

Former San Miguel Beer mainstay Billy Moody fired a game-high 22 points for Hobe Bihon, which played minus Fil-Australian center Terry Amir.

Jeff Sanders contributed 17 points and ex-pro Braulio Lim and Ismael Junio added 10 points apiece for Hobe.

Manuel Luis Quezon University downed EJM Pawnshop, 99-93, to likewise stay in contention with a 4-2 slate in the nine-team tournament organized by Millennium Basketball League and backed by Smart Communications, Dickies Underwear and PRC Courier Services.