ALCANTARA—The Dumaguete Warriors leaned on the clutch baskets of Jaybie Mantilla, Ronald Roy and Mark Doligon to slip past the Tabogon Voyagers in overtime, 67-65, in the stepladder playoffs of the Chooks-to-Go VisMin Super Cup on Saturday night at the Alcantara Civic Center in Alcantara, Cebu.
It was a fiercely fought match that saw players from both sides get bruised, battered and even bloodied. However, in the end, it was Dumaguete that came out on top to earn the right to take on the ARQ Builders Lapu-Lapu in a do-or-die game on Sunday for the last semifinals ticket.
Mantilla, Doligon and Roy all came double-double performances in the league’s very first overtime match. Mantilla came away with 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Doligon added 17 markers, 10 boards, two dimes, a steal and a block. Roy chipped in 11 points and 12 boards.
Mantilla, a former MVP of the CESAFI, said that he was running on fumes after playing a whopping 37 minutes. However, he added that he and the rest of his teammates just need to shrug this off and move on to Sunday’s game versus ARQ.
“We’re all very tired but we still need to focus on Sunday’s game so we can’t relax,” said the University of San Jose-Recoletos product. “We need to fight to win or we’re all going home.”
Tied at 63-all in the extra session, Roy knocked in a booming triple from the right wing to shove Dumaguete ahead, 66-63, with 1:37 left in the game. Tabogon then pulled to within one, 65-66, after Jethro Sombero and Harold Arboleda split their trips to the charity stripe.
The Voyagers even had a shot at taking the lead but guard Joemari Lacastesantos committed a costly blunder, calling a timeout when they had none, resulting in a technical foul being called on them. Mantilla made the free-throw to extend Dumaguete’s lead to two, 67-65, time down to just seven seconds.
Tabogon still had an opportunity, though, but Arboleda badly missed a three-pointer while Arvie Bringas flubbed his fadeaway jumper as time expired to give Dumaguete the thrilling win.
The loss spoiled the monster game of Bringas who scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth to tow Tabogon back from a 10-point deficit. He also hauled in 21 rebounds. Lacastesantos added 10 points, nine boards, seven assists and three steals.
THE SCORES
Dumaguete (67)—Mantilla 24, Doligon 17, Roy 11, Gabas 7, Regalado 4, Monteclaro 2, Tomilloso 2, Ramirez 0, Velasquez 0, Gonzalgo 0, Aguilar 0
Tabogon (65)—Bringas 18, Lacastesantos 10, Orquina 8, Sombero 8, Delos Reyes 7, Arboleda 5, Vitug 3, Diaz 2, Bersabal 2, De Ocampo 2
QUARTERSCORES: 17-15, 31-28, 47-38, 59-59, 67-65
(JNP)