CEBU, Philippines – The Lexmark Stallions used balanced attack to pummel the SSI Warriors, 73-59, and tighten their grip of the Elite Classic lead with a clean 6-0 slate in the 11th CSCC E-League men's basketball tournament last Sunday at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.
Sylvester Millevo was the lone double-digit scorer but it did not matter as the Stallions showed great team effort in spoiling the 34-point effort by SSI's top gunner Lawrence Daven Agas.
Millevo finished with 17 points on top five rebounds and five assists for the Stallions, who left the Warriors groping for form after racing to a 21-9 start. They sustained their momentum until the final buzzer to hand the Warriors their fourth loss in six starts.
In the other Elite Classic match, Marcos Genteli Jungoy III nailed 16 points on top of five rebounds and two assists as the Teleperformance All-Stars outlasted the Sykes Pioneers, 74-63.
Ryan Veloso chipped in 13 points, four assists and two steals, while Cecilio Sam, Jr. and James Lester Nevaja each scored 10 even as they also connived for 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals for the All-Stars, who virtually put their sixth win in their bag with a 20-point advantage, 58-38, after three quarters.
Sykes rallied back in the windup but time wasn't on its side on the way to absorb its fifth setback against only one victory. James Claude Ontal paced Sykes with 14 points followed by Frederick Montelibano with 13 markers.
In the Evo League, Donald Stephen de Leon fired 16 points laced with a season-high 17 rebounds and four assists to rally the Author Solutions, Inc. Hardbacks to a 71-67 triumph over the Contact Solutions, while Aerl Genebraldo sparkled with 28 points and 12 rebounds as the Calltek Trojans whacked the Teletech Titans, 74-66.
Jonas Panerio also had 16 points on top of four rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Armalon Fernandez added 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Hardbacks, who rode on a strong start and a solid finish to turn back Contact Solutions and even their record to 3-3.
Keith Justine Reyes had 17 points and eight rebounds, Gharde Malinao netted 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and as many steals, but to no avail as Contact Solutions stumbled for the sixth time in seven games.
Genebraldo, on the other hand, drew huge support from Joshua Benedict Sasing with 11 points, six steals, five rebounds and two assists for Calltek, which now holds a 3-4 win-loss card.
Jonas Concepcion darted 22 points, six steals, four rebounds and three assists, while Mark Anthony Manigque added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists but their efforts went for naught as Teletech fell to 1-6.— EBV (FREEMAN)