Bakers defuse Chargers drive, share 2nd spot

Games today

2 p.m. – Cebuana Lhuillier vs Hog’s Breath

4 p.m. – Informatics vs Blackwater Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Michael Parala scored 15 points while Alfred Batino fired 14 points and hauled down 11 rebounds as Café France held off Big Chill, 80-75, to gain a share of second with Blackwater Sports in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The Bakers built double-digit spreads early then thwarted the Superchargers’ repeated comebacks to nail their third straight victory after an opening game setback.

“The players made some sacrifice during the Holy Week and I thought that was a key point,” said Café France coach Egay Macaraya, whose team had a scrimmage against a Hong Kong team on Black Saturday.

“Turned out that game prepared us well for this game. I thought our defense was key to our strong start,” said Macaraya. 

Boracay Rum, meanwhile, rallied in the fourth quarter to beat EA Regen Med, 85-75, while Cagayan Valley defeated Jumbo Plastic, 83-74, to improve to 2-1.

The Waves struggled for three quarters before turning game around by scoring 30 points in the fourth.

Maclean Sabellina scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and teamed-up with Roider Cabrera and Lucas Tagarda during a 10-0 run as Boracay Rum turned a three point deficit into a 70-63 lead en route to victory, its second against the same number of losses.

“I hope this will inspire the boys in our next game. At least they know we can win against a powerhouse team if we play as a team,” said Boracay Rum coach Lawrence Chongson.

It was a tough loss for Team Delta, who posted several double-digit leads but shot just 9 of 34 in the second half. Worse they committed 13 of their 23 turnovers during that stretch.

Jimbo Aquino scored 20 while Jeckster Apinan added 17, including 11 in the first quarter to help EA Regen Med take a 26-12 lead.