TALISAY City-MJAS Zenith and Mandaue-KCS fashioned out similar easy victories at the start of the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Vis-Min Super Cup basketball championship at the Alcantara Sports and Civic Center in Cebu.
Talisay hardly worked out a sweat in beating Tubigon-Bohol Mariners, 104-66, while Mandaue proved too strong for Siquior Mystics, 66-46, to make history as the first-ever winners of the country’s newest professional league sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
Patrick Cabahug scattered 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting while Jan Jamon added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting to power the Aldrin Morante-coached Aquastars to an impressive victory.
Paolo Hubalde of Talisay, however, made the first basket in the league with a lay-up with 9:20 in the first quarter.
Hubalde, son of PBA legend Freddie Hubalde, finished with four points in six and a half minutes of action.
“We played good defense kaya yun opensa namin naging maayos sa buong laro,” said Morante, referring to Talisay’s remarakble 50 percent shooting from the floor.
The Aquastars also committed only nine turnovers.
Morante, however, said there is still room for improvement.
Pari Llagas led Tubigon with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.
Former Far Eastern University standouts Gryann Mendoza and Al Francis Tamsi led Mandaue’s charge with 29 points between them.
Miguel Castellano was the lone bright spot for Siquijor, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
The scores:
First game:
Talisay (104) — Cabahug 22, Jamon 14, Mojica 11, Gimpayan 10, Eguilos 9, Villafranca 8, Acuna 7, Menina 4, Hubalde 4, Casajeros 4, Ugsang 4, Dela Cerna 3, Santos 2, Mabigat 2, Cuyos 0.
Tubigon-Bohol (66) — Llagas 19, Marquez 13, Casera 9, Dadjijul 7, Leonida 6, Montilla 5, Musngi 5, Ibarra 2, Tilos 0, Apolonias 0, Cabizares 0, Tangunan 0.
Quarterscores: 28-18; 58-32; 84-52; 104-66.
Second game:
KCS-Mandaue (66) – Mendoza 17, Tamsi 12, Octobre 9, Delator 6, Soliva 4, Solera 4, Mercader 3, Roncal 3, Imperial 3, Bregondo 3, Bonganciso 2, Cachuela 0, Exciminiano 0, Nalos 0, Castro 0.
Siquijor (46) — Castellano 14, Peñaflor 8, Rodriguez 6, Aspiras 5, J. Buenafe 3, Belleza 3, Alcober 3, Quiro 2, Gooc 2, R. Buenafe 0, Tangcay 0, Sereño 0, Calomot 0.
Quarterscores: 17-7, 34-20, 48-41, 66-46.
