Landmasters cop 2nd Liga leg diadem

MANILA, Philippines - Cebu Landmasters RDAK-Mandaue became the first team to win a second weekly leg championship in the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V when it held off Misamis Oriental, 84-80, at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex in Mandaue City over the weekend.

Jan Villaver hit six straight points in the fourth quarter as Mandaue battled from 53-56 down to grab the lead then hung on down the stretch to complete the victory.

The Meteors actually clawed back behind Egay Billones, who fired four points, to close in at 73-76 with 1:35 to play. But the hosts countered with a Leo Losentes triple, 79-73.

Mark Magsumbol and Villaver shared scoring honors with 16 points each.

Billones topscored for the Meteros with 17 points while Ken Bono and Lyndon Gudez added 13 points apiece.

For the second time, Magsumbol was named as the week’s Most Valuable Player after leading the team with an average of 14.0 points.

Meanwhile, the Laguna Golden Lions trounced M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu, 68-56, to claim third place honors.

This marks the first time in Liga history that the three-time champions Niños finished last in a weekly leg.

The win thus shoved Mandaue to the overall lead with 27 points. The Ninos dropped to second with 24 points followed by the Meteors with 18 and the Golden Lions with 17. The Ilocos Sur CS Tigers and MP Warriors of GenSan occupy the last two spots with 11 and seven points, respectively.