1 May 2019
CEBU CITY—The Mandaue City Ballers routed the Minglanilla Archangels, 98-64, to secure the second finals seat in the 2019 Governor’s Cup Inter-Cities/Municipalities Basketball Tournament last Wednesday, May 1, at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
The Ballers, thus, arranged a best-of-three title series against the defending champions Talisay City Aquastars.
Talisay will host Game 1 on Friday, May 3.
One thing going against Mandaue in the series-opener will be the absence of Kenneth Brillo, who was ejected after committing an unsportsmanlike foul in the final three minutes of their lopsided win against Minglanilla.
Per league rules, an ejection merits an automatic one-game suspension.
Brillo was a huge factor in Mandaue’s 34-point win after he finished with a team-high 20 points.
Gabriel Cometa added 18 markers, Paul Sungahid donated 16, Archie Buscay had 13, while Lemuel Gonzaga chipped in 12 in a balanced Mandaue attack.
The game was only close for one quarter after Mandaue ended the first 10 minutes of the contest with a slim 24-23 lead.
The Ballers started flexing their muscle in the second canto and ended the first half with a huge 53-35 lead.
Mandaue cruised from that point on as Minglanilla couldn’t get into any rhythm till the final buzzer.
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