Opening day victories for Mandaue and Talisay in the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup

No surprise on the opening day as both favored teams of Mandaue and Talisay both booked their first win of the season in a lopsided fashion.

In the first game of the league, MJAS Zenith-Talisay City muscled their way against Tubigon Bohol right from the tip-off as they gained the upper hand from the start and never looked back.

Patrick Cabahug led the way for the aquastar with 22 points in just 18 minutes of play while shooting 56% from the field. Jan Jamon lit it up from the three-point range as he made 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc while Jaymo Eguilos being the most efficient player in the field with a +23 while having an across-the-board numbers of 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks.



The team did it while their team captain Paolo Hubalde played only 6 minutes in the first quarter.

Head coach Aldrin Morante is pleased with his team’s performance on both ends of the floor, saying, “Yung opensa namin, naging maayos kasi maganda yung depensa namin,” right after the game.

Pari Llagas and Joseph Marquez monster efforts went to waste as their team was ripped by as much as 40 points in the 4^th quarter. Llagas finished the game with an all-around effort of 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks while Marquez had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.

In the second game, KCS Mandaue pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win against Siquijor.

Only leading by seven points at the end of the third quarter, the Computer Specialists rely on their defense in the final canto as they limit the Mystics to only 5 points the whole quarter.

KCS Mandaue Head Coach Mike Reyes acknowledged their struggles especially against their opponent’s veteran players but thankful that his team pivoted just at the right time to punch their first win.

“Minamama kami lahat eh. Nagkakamali kami sa defense but we adjusted and ginawa nila ang dapat gawin. The right helpers came and we started fronting the post and that’s when we were able to pull away.” Said Reyes in the post-game interview.

The Computer Specialist was led by former pros Gryann Mendoza and Alfrancis Tamsi. Mendoza finished with 17 points on top of 4 three-point shots made while Tamsi scored 12 points to provide the enough backing especially with their team captain Christopher Exciminiano not playing in the team’s opening game.

Despite the loss, Miguel Castellano shined bright for his all-around effort in almost 22 minutes of play. He registered 14 points and eight rebounds for the Mystics.

The Scores:

FIRST GAME

MJAS Zenith-Talisay City (104) - Cabahug 22, Jamon 14, Mojica 11, Gimpayan 10, Eguilos 9, Villafranca 8, Acuña 7, Hubalde 4, Casajeros 4, Menina 4, Ugsang 4, Dela Cerna 3, Cuyos 0.

Tubigon Bohol (66) - Llagas 19, Marquez 13, Casera 9, Dadjijul 7, Leonida 6, Montilla 5, Musngi 5, Ibarra 2, Apolonias 0, Cabizares 0, Tangunan 0.

Quarterscores: 28-18, 58-32, 84-52, 104-64.

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.

Images from the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup