Country House lassos SMF in MDX

The closest game of the night became the biggest blowout on Sunday evening as Cavite Country House took a four point lead into the fourth quarter before busting loose from SMF-Seabridge with 35 points en route to a 102-84 whoopin’ in continuation of the 2nd MDX Basketball League at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Despite trailing in each of the four quarters, SMF-Seabridge was neck and neck with Country House thanks to the two headed monster of Leo “No Need to Pass” Itass and Gary Cayetano.

Cayetano was in the zone early by sinking a pair of field goals and a three-pointer to go along with draining each of his six free throws for a total of 13 in the first. Despite his hot start, Country House spread the ball and the scoring around to eight shooters to end the opening stanza with a narrow 24-23 lead.

The action continued in the second when Itass hit four from the field and made two of five from the line to lead all scorers with 10, but Errol Peredo hit from downtown and used the glass to finish with eight, while four of his teammates scored to give Cavite a 44-38 lead at the half.

A brief rest allowed the SMF squad to reorganize for the third, and Itass went on a rampage with six baskets and two from the charity stripe for 14 to cut the deficit to four points at the buzzer, but that’s where the comeback hopes ended.

Wilfredo Dayrit drained his second trey of the game, Peredo went off for nine, and Vergel De Dios fired in four from the field for Cavite while five others stoked the fires with scores.

By the time the final horn sounded, the four-point gap that once separated Cavite from SMF had grown to a commanding 18-point margin. Peredo led Cavite in scoring with 26, William Opone was the chairman of the board with 10 rebounds, while his teammate De Dios was a close second with nine. Despite scoring 33 points and reeling in six rebounds, Itass was unable to will his team to victory.

In the first game of the evening, Micronesian Brokers, Inc. dealt their way into the win column on the strength of 29 points from Jerry Mangahis and a combined 26 rebounds of Larry Palero (10), Ronnie Palero (9), and Jerry Gayo (7) who ruled the paint.

Mangahis won a scoring duel with Subway’s Gil Gapor in the first quarter by scoring 14 to Gapor’s 11, as the MBI guys went into the break with a 28-27 lead.