Hobe Bihon, Foscon prevail

Manila, Philippines - Hobe Bihon survived Lyceum of the Philippines-Uratex, 80-75, while Foscon Ship Management outsteadied Wang’s Ballclub, 93-87, to gain at least a tie for the two outright semis berths in the 2011 MBL Open basketball championship at the RTU gym in Boni Ave., Mandaluyong.

Former Purefoods standout Braulio Lim scored four of his 15 points in the closing seconds as Hobe escaped with a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over the young but hard-fighting Lyceum-Uratex side.

Lim teamed up with American Jason Davis in a decisive 19-4 finishing kick that enabled the Junnel Mendiola-mentored Hobe to erase a 10-point deficit and clinch its sixth straight win in the eight-team, single-round elimination.

Davis finished with a game-high 30 points, including several spectacular dunks that kept the underrmanned Hobe squad in the thick of the fight in the second half.

 Lim added 15 points, followed by Rommel David with 14 and Jeff Sanders with 11.

Rich Guevarra finished with 16 points for Lyceum-Uratex, which is already assured of making it to the next round despite a 3-4 win-loss slate.

 Allan Santos added 14 points, Chris Cayabyab had 12 and Shane Kho had 10.

Foscon overcame repeated rallies to subdue Wang’s Ballclub and keep second place with a 6-1 record in the event supported by Smart Sports, Dickies Underwear, PRC Courier Services, Big Banner and WG Diners.

Former FedEx mainstay Nino Marquez scored 20 points for the Intramuros-based squad of coach Ricky Alcantara and manager-owner Chong Pal Kim.

Alfie Martinez added 18 points and ex-Talk N Text player Orly Daroya and Luis Palaganas contributed 10 points each for Foscon.

Raymond Maconocido, a 5-10 all-around guard from San Carlos, Negros Occidental, carried the fight for Wang’s with game-high 33 points and 11 assists.

Fil-Am Anthony Cuevas contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds and ex-pro Biboy Simon added 13 points.

Foscon led by as many as 15 points, but Wang’s battled back to finally tie the score at 79-all on a barreling drive to the basket by Cuevas.

But Ricky Maurillo of Wang’s was whistled for a flagrant foul during a rebound battle, Palaganas calmly sank two free throws and Martinez hit a long 3 to make it 84-79 for Foscon.

Foscon then wisely traded baskets with Wang’s and protected the lead until the final buzzer.

Tournament director Albert Andaya said the top two teams after the elimination will advance to the semis outright with twice-to-beat advantages, while the next four teams will dispute the remaining two semis slots.

The scores:

First Game

Hobe Bihon 80 - Davis 30, Lim 15, David 14, Sanders 11, Dela Cuesta 8, Misolas 2.

Lyceum-Uratex 75 - Guevarra 16, Santos 14, Caayabyab 12, Kho 10, Ambohot 9, Laude 6, Salazar 4, Lacap 2, Azores 2, Napiza 0, Mallari 0, Anakta 0.

Quarterscores:: 16-20, 38-34, 54-55, 80-75.

Second Game

Foscon 93 - Marquez 20, Martinez 18, Daroya 10, Palaganas 10, Calimpong 8, Villaflor 8, Clemente 8, Amir 7, Gonzalgo 2, Paclipan 2, Castro 2, Chamberlain 0.

Wang’s 87 - Maconocido 33, Cuevas 14, Simon 13, Manthe 7, Reyes 7, Aranan 5, Diaz 3, D.Litonjua 3, R.Litonjua 2, Lingao-Lingao 2, Maurillo 0.

Quarterscores: 20-11, 4-35, 62-61, 93-87.