Mamba takes lead in Blue Haus caging

Mamba finished strong to beat Oh My J, 67-58, in the lone game played in the 2015 Blue Haus/IT&E Inter-Color Basketball League yesterday at the Navy Hill court.

Mamba’s Christian Devero maneuvers his way out of the defense of Oh My J’s Ferdie Tobias during the second half of their game in the Blue Haus-IT&E caging yesterday at the Navy Hill court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Mamba, previously called Wag Kang Pabebe, had a 15-6 windup in the last 4:20 of the game to withstand Oh My J’s second-half rally and register a league-best 5-2 record. Oh My J dropped to second place with its 4-2 slate, tying idle Makalaro Lang and Pasion De Amor, and had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Oh My J worked its way back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half, 33-43, and finally grabbed the lead as Junar Guiab’s baseline jumper capped the team’s 15-4 spurt, 48-47, with about six minutes left on the clock. It was a close game from thereon with the match tied last at 52-all after Mark Asuhan muscled his way into the basket, with four minutes and change left in the game.

A fastbreak layup from Adonis Macoto broke the deadlock and sparked a pivotal 11-0 run for Mamba. Brendon Talania gave Mamba the next 2 points off his pair of charities before leaving the game due to an injury, while Ariel Abadilla, Christian Devero, and Oscar Mina Jr. teamed up for the 7 other points. Mina capped the breakaway with his layup against two Oh My J defenders, bringing back Mamba’s double-digit lead, 63-52.

Oh My J was quiet for more than three minutes, as Nate Mateo and Ryan Sanciangco were cold off the bench and missed all their outside shots, while Guiab and Asuhan also muffed point-blanked shots. Asuhan’s triple ended Oh My J’s silence, but he was too late the hero, as they were still down by 8, 55-63, with only 44 seconds remaining in the game.

A pair of free throws in the ensuing play gave Mamba a safe lead, 65-55, while Oh My J got only its second field goal in the homestretch off Ferdie Tobias’ triple on the other end. Another miss from Oh My J returned possession to Mamba, which collected 2 more points from Christian Devero in the last 1.7 seconds of the game to peg the final score. Mateo committed a foul on Devero, who pulled up from the 3-point area, hoping to put the finishing touches on their win, but had to settle for 2 points after missing his second free throw attempt.

Christian Devero led all scorers with his 25 points, while Talania and Stephen Tolosa chipped in 13 and 10, respectively. Guiab paced Oh My J with his 14 points, while Mateo contributed 10.

Mamba 67 – C. Devero 25, Talania 13, Tolosa 10, Abadilla 5, Macoto 4, J. Devero 4, Mina 4, Domingo 2.

Oh My J 58 – Guiab 14, Mateo 10, Asuhan 9, Tobias 8, Galulu 6, Enriquez 5, Sanciangco 4, Manangan 2.

Scoring by halves: 33-28, 67-58.