Cabalen gains solo lead

Cabalen/Wings Travel stretched its winning run to three after beating MAFEA/RNV, 94-78, in the UFO Inter-Organization Masters Basketball Docomo Pacific Cup 2011 on Tuesday night at the TSL Sports Complex.

With its 3-0 record, the defending champion reclaimed the solo lead in the five-team field, one win ahead of MDX/Armatech (2-0). MAFEA remained winless after three matches.

Cabalen posted the 16-point winning margin, as it stepped on the pedal in the fourth quarter after battling MAFEA in a close match in the first three quarters. Alex Ocampo and Francis Rebuyon led the breakaway in the fourth, as they combined for 13 markers.

Both Ocampo and Santos finished in double figures, tallying 15 and 11 points, respectively. Four other Cabalen players also recorded more than 10 points with Mike Cruz leading the way with 18. Edsel Mendoza nailed 16, while Tony Diaz and Rebuyon added 14 and 12, respectively.

MAFEA also had a balance offense with five of its players scoring in double figures. However, just like in its first two losses, MAFEA folded up in the homestretch, as it was too slow to return to transition defense, allowing Cabalen easy baskets.

Cabalen led by only four after the first period, 20-16, behind the six points of Ocampo. Dado Vistal matched Ocampo’s output after hitting two early triples.

MAFEA remained in contention at the break, behind by only three, 38-41, as Ed Cosino sizzled for 11 markers in the second quarter.

Cruz made it a 67-60 lead in the third after canning nine points in that canto and drawing support from Mendoza, Diaz, and Rebuyon. Danny Bicera had nine points for MAFEA in the third, filling the void Cosino left on the team’s offense, as the latter scored only two points in that period.

In the fourth frame, both Bicera and Cosino went cold with the former making only one field goal in the first eight minutes of play and the latter still going scoreless. Only Ferdie de la Torre and Elmer Pineda drilled more than two field goals for MAFEA in the fourth, but these came when Cabalen had already full control of the match.

Cabalen/Wings Travel 94 – Cruz 18, Mendoza 16, Ocampo 15, Diaz 14, Rebuyon 12, Santos 11, Palacios 7.

MAFEA/RNV 78 – Pineda 15, Bicera 14, Cosino 14, de la Torre 12, Vistal 11, Manalili 4, Sanoy 4, Sevilla 2.

Scoring by quarters: 20-16, 41-38, 66-58, 101-79.