Giants, Warriors slay FMI caging foes

The TASI Tours Giants and TAGA Warriors conquered their respective foes as action continued in the open and masters division of the 2008 FMI Inter-color Basketball League Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Giants overcame SMF-Seabridge’s second-half scoring splurge in pulling off a 97-91 win while the Warriors coasted a 99-86 triumph against GEC Pawnshop.

The win pushed the Giants past idle Shirley’s Coffee Shop breaking their two-way tie with the Foodmakers in fourth place while joining the Pawnbrokers in the open division with similar 4-2 cards.

Forward Ehroll Peredo netted 25 points to lead the scoring for the Giants, who nearly blew an 18-point halftime lead and allow SMF to trim the lead to single digits in the final quarter.

Peredo scored 14 in the first half as the Giants took a 57-39 lead at the half but slowed down in the final 20 minutes of the game even going 1-for-5 at the free throw line in the fourth period.

Banjo Basila picked up where Peredo left off nailing 12 of his 21 markers in the second half hitting timely baskets to keep Seabridge at bay. Bernard Aquino added 20 points while Sahnee Rañola and Pando Muleta tallied 14 and 12 each.

Kevin Bernardo paced SMF with 14 points while Sonny Lerio chipped in 18 more with James Villacrusis and Leo Itaas having 15 and 13 markers.

Earlier, big men Ronald Delos Reyes and Ed Cosino carried the scoring cudgels for the Warriors combining for more than half of their team’s points in a 99-86 trouncing of GEC Pawnshop in the masters division.

The win snapped a three-way tie for the lead as the Warriors grabbed sole possession of the top spot with a 4-1 mark while GEC dropped to a 3-2 card in third place.

Delos Reyes, who had a quiet four points in the first quarter, drilled in 27 markers in the second half with 17 coming in the fourth period to silence the Pawnbrokers.

He finished with a game-high 35 points going 14-for-17 at the free throw line, 10-for-11 in the final canto.

Cosino scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half where the Warriors kept the game close, as they did not allowed the Pawnbrokers to break away.

Jess Nicdao and Jun Abedes tallied 15 and 12 points also for the Warriors.

Rañola led the Pawnbrokers with 27 points while Moly Cacho scattered 23 markers while Amor Casabuena finished with 11 more.

Poor free throw shooting hurt the Pawnbrokers’ cause as they shot a measly 29 percent at the charity line with Cacho going 2-for-13, 0-for-6 in the fourth period.
[B] First Game[/B]

TAGA Warriors 99 – Delos Reyes 35, Cosino 24, Nicdao 15, Abedes 12, Pineda 6, Jacob 4, Dizon 3.

GEC Pawnshop 86 – Rañola 27, Cacho 23, Casabuena 11, Buenbajo 8, Viola 8, Olivos 4, Peleño 3, Villafuerte 2.

Scoring by quarters: 25-18, 44-46, 64-67, 99-86.

Referees: Jess Pabula and Dado Vistal.
[B] Second Game[/B]

TASI Tours 97 – Peredo 25, Basila 21, Aquino 20, Rañola 14, Muleta 12, Factor 4, De Belen 1.

SMF Seabridge 91 – Bernardo 32, Lerio 18, Villacrusis 15, Itaas 13, Demigillo 4, Hugos 3, Capalad 2, Manansala 2, Mortos 1, Viola 1.

Scoring by quarters: 33-19, 57-39, 77-71, 97-91.

Referees: Noel Delos Santos and Michael A. White.