Caida grabs PCBL lead; Sta Lucia strikes back

MANILA, Philippines –  Caida Tile Masters continued its winning ways in the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League Founders Cup as it hammered out a 94-82 victory over Jumbo Plastic even as Sta. Lucia Realty survived Supremo Lex, 77-71, at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

Billy Robles knocked in 19 points, including 11 in the fourth period as the Tile Masters outran their rivals, scoring 19 points in transition compared to only four from Jumbo Plastic.

Dexter Marquez added 14 markers while sharp shooting Ford Ruaya contributed 10 for the Mike Buendia-mentored Caida squad, which grabbed the early solo lead with a 2-0 record.

“Our early preparation is bearing fruit. We’ve been practicing for a long time. You can see the familiarity of our players with one another. But we still have lapses and we need to work to it. Rebounding is another aspect we need to improve on because we’re not a big team,” said Buendia, one of the assistant coaches of Yeng Guiao in Rain or Shine in the PBA.

Sta. Lucia squandered a 15-point lead in the third period, but held on to survive upset-conscious Supremo Lex in the main game.

Burly center Wowie Esconio went a rebound short of a double-double performance, tallying 19 points and nine rebounds. He came up with a crucial three-point play down the stretch that helped stave off a late rally by Supremo Lex.

Jhaps Bautista contributed 10 for the Bonni Garcia-mentored Realtors, who, in their first game, blew a lead of 20 points in a heartbreaking loss to Caida’s sister team Racal Kama Motors.

Garcia admitted he need to address his team’s lack of  a good point guard.

“It shows that our maturity down the stretch, particularly our point guards, hindi pa gaanong matured. Kapag decision making down the stretch, nahihirapan sila,” said Garcia.

Garcia is banking on ex-pro Rob Celiz for leadership, but the former Blackwater and Talk N Text reserve swingman is not a point guard.