Underground, Velleza in semis of Destroyers Friendlies

Underground and Velleza have secured their spot in the semis of the Destroyers Basketball Club Friendly Games 2024 Season 2 at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Underground trounced Jacob’s Sakalam, 91-84, last Tuesday. Meanwhile, Velleza won by default after their opponent, Solid Lakay, couldn’t make it to their game.

It was nonstop back-and-forth action as both teams vied for a semis spot last Tuesday, but Underground came out on top with some points to spare from clutch free throws made towards the end.

Jobert Meriales was the difference-maker for Underground as he buried Jacob’s Sakalam with back-to-back field goals throughout the game. His consistency in the first half was translated into the second as he continued to rack up points alongside teammates Paul John Manansala and Vincent Lumen.

However, Jacob’s Sakalam kept pace and was behind by a few points, 42-50 at the end of the first half. Rod Gellrob, Irvyn Malonzo, Jomar Tengco, and Razel Barrios kept them in the game as their contributions skyrocketed to double digits.

They were neck-and-neck further into the second half, but two clutch 3-pointers by Manansala and Meriales gave Underground a slight advantage.

In the end, the trips to the free throw line proved pivotal as Underground won by a margin of just seven points, 91-84.

Meriales was the sharpshooter of the game with a game high 26 points, while Manansala gave 19 points, and Lumen had 18 markers. On the other hand, Gellrob scored 19, and Malonzo and Tengco contributed 15 each.

The league started last month with eight teams—Underground, Solid Lakay, Beto, Vizion Insurance, HBR, Savory Bistro Cafe, Velleza, and Jacob’s Sakalam.

The next two semis teams will be determined by the winners of tonight’s games.

At 6pm, Vizion Insurance will take on HBR, while after, Beto will face off against Savory Bistro Cafe.

The semis are slated for tomorrow at 6pm and 7:30pm.

The finals are set for Sunday, Oct. 6 at 7:30pm.

Underground 91 – Meriales 26, Manansala 19, Lumen 18, Dela Cruz 11, Gragasin 11, Francisco 6.

Sakalam 84 – Gellrob 19, Malonzo 15, Tengco 15, Barrios 14, Bondad 10, Catibog 6, Rivera 5.

Scoring by halves: 50-42, 91-85.