Banchero, Waves open title bid in style

MANILA, Philippines -- Chris Banchero made his grand debut on Tuesday and provided Boracay Rum the leadership it sorely lacked the past two seasons as the Waves toppled newcomer Derulo Accelero, 86-59, in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Arellano Gym.

After a close first half, the Waves pulled away in the third quarter by outscoring the Oilers, 31-16.

Boracay Rum shot 61 percent in the quarter with Mark Belo pouring 10 of his game-high 16 points.

“We played great a third quarter and everybody played a great game. Every time you win by 20 points it’s a great game,” offered Banchero, who finished with 15 points and four assists.

“It’s a lot physical here and you got away with a lot of it,” said the former ABL star. “But that’s good because that’s how it is in the PBA.”

The Waves played without head coach Lawrence Chongson but assistant Bert Flores did a good job as substitute.

Earlier Jopher Custodio scored 15 of his 25 points in the second half to lead Jumbo Plastic to a 76-56 romp over NU-BDO.

The Giants opened the game with a 12-0 run and led by as many as 22 points late in the fourth quarter.

Boracay Rum led by just six points at halftime but opened the third with a 16-4 run and the Oilers never recovered from there.

Clearly, Banchero’s unselfish play and leadership inspired his teammates and opened a lot of opportunities for the Waves.

“I want to win a championship for Boracay and to be able to do that I have to get my teammates involved,” said Banchero adding “this team is not about me.”

Boracay Rum also got a huge game from Kenneth Acibar (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Roider Cabrera (10 points).

Jose Manuel and Mark Jeffries scored 14 apiece for the Oilers, who picked up their second straight loss.

Ex-pro Jason Ballesteros scored 15 points in his first game since being sidelined by leg injury in June last year that cut short his PBA career. Forward Jan Colina contributed 15 points, four assists and three steals in a stellar performance while Marion Magat added 10 and eight rebounds for the Giants, who dominated the Bulldogs with their height and defensive hassle.

“We have a lot of veteran players in the team and they’re doing a good job helping out the young guns. I thought we played well on both ends,” said Jumbo Plastic coach Steveson Tiu.

Tiu said he expects the Giants to figure prominently this conference with a revamped line-up.

The Bulldogs played without their star forward Bobby Ray Parks, Jr, who attended to a personal commitment according to BDO coach Eric Altimirano. But he said Parks will suit up in their next game against Big Chill on Monday.

NU-BDO trailed by 14 points with six minutes remaining in the third quarter but managed to pull within 42-46 late in the period on a 10-0 run.

Robin Rono scored 18 points and Joshua Alolino added 14 for the Bulldogs, who struggled throughout while visibly adapting to the rules of pro basketball.

Jumbo Plastic held a 53-44 lead after three quarters before Custodio and Colina sparked a 16-4 run that practically sealed the win for the Giants,69-47, with still 5:43 left in the game.

The Bulldogs looked good in the early going after Alolino and Jethroy Rosario pulled the team within two points but Custodio scored eight points during an 11-0 blast as the Giants extended the margin to 25-12 and controlled the game the rest of the way.

The scores:

First Game

Jumbo Plastic 76 – Custodio 25, Ballesteros 15, Colina 15, Magat 10, Dehesa 6, Romero 3, Melegrito 2, Petilos 0, Chiu 0, Antipuesto 0, Tan 0.

NU-BDO 56 – Rono 18, Alolino 14, Rosario 8, Perez 5, Javelona 4, Neypez 2, Javillonar 2. Khobuntin 2, De Guzman 1, Villamor 0.

Quarters: 27-13; 31-25; 53-44; 76-56.

Second Game

Boracay Rum 86 – Belo 16, Banchero 15, Acibar 12, Cabrera 10, Bautista 9, Viernes 8, Taha 6, Tagarda 4, Arellano 3, Sabellina 2, Rosopa 1, Siruma 0.

Derulo Acceleo 59 – Manuel 14, Jeffries 14, Morillo 10, Bautista 9, Soyud 5, Wong 5, Asilum 2, Dilay 0, Corpuz 0, Juruena 0, Gingerich 0, Importante 0.

Quarters: 19-14; 34-28; 65-44; 86-59