Jumbo five sinks Foton, gains semis

Games today (JCSGO Gym)

2 p.m. – Caida Tiles vs Supremo Lex

4 p.m. – Euro-Med vs Kama Motors

MANILA, Philippines – Jumbo Plastic took control early then fended off Foton’s rally to fashion out a 71-62 victory and clinch the first semifinal berth in the PCBL Founders Cup at the JCSGO gym in QC last Thursday.

James Martinez fired 18 points, including a triple and a floater down the stretch to frustrate the Toplander and advance to the Final Four of the tournament backed by Accel, Ambucore, Spalding and Aquabest.

A former UE stalwart who had a brief stint with the Powerade Tigers in the PBA, Martinez went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and shot a steady 7-of-12 from the field to power the Linoleum Giants to the victory.

Jumbo Plastic’s win was nearly overshadowed by Cagayan Valley’s 82-67 rout of Sta. Lucia to force a sudden death for a semifinals berth.

Mark Brana poured in 15 of his 22 points in the fourth period and the Rising Suns clamped down on defense, shackling Realtors’ top gunner Mark Montilla to just four points in the second half to help lift Cagayan to the win. 

“Our game plan worked against Montilla,” said Cagayan Valley coach Ronnie Dojillo. “We wanted to deny Montilla clear access to the basket and our defensive game plan worked well against Sta. Lucia.”

The winner of the Sta. Lucia-Cagayan knockout game will face Jumbo Plastic in the best-of-three series next week.