SCS saves second win in DLX/Miller Lite caging

SCS Heavy Equipment Rental notched its second win in as many games in the 2nd Domino Lux International Fraternity/Miller Lite Basketball Invitational Friendship League after edging Hite Beer/Blue Haus last Friday night at the Gualo Rai Basketbal Court.

SCS, which won its opening game against the Navy Hill Gunners last Monday, 83-62, canned crucial free throws in the homestretch to prevail in the low-scoring game and hold the early lead in the 10-team league.

Nine of SCS’ last 11 points came from the 15-foot line with Jack Lizama drilling four charities, Bon Tamayo and Glenn Aquino hitting two apiece, and Manolo Manalo having a split.

Lizama, who missed their debut game, top-scored for SCS with 20, while Tamayo and Aquino also finished in double digits with 17 and 10 markers, respectively.

Zack Babauta led Hite with 17, while Ivan Devero and Alex Lauron chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. The loss to SCS was only the first for Hite, as its opening game of the season against Crystal Pure/Mekeni last Monday was rained-out at halftime with the latter ahead, 28-25.

The Hite-SCS tiff was close from start to finish with the latter only up by a hair after the first period, 16-15. Tamayo and Lizama teamed up for SCS in the opening canto, combining for 14 points, while Devero and Lauron kept Hite in the game with their four markers each.

Both teams slowed down in the second quarter, but SCS managed to stretch the lead to four, 26-22, when it held Hite to only three field goals for seven points.

Then after the break, Zack Babauta, who was held to one free throw in the second, came back with nine markers in the third to keep Hite afloat. Despite the hot shooting of Tamayo and six straight points of Aquino early in the quarter, SCS’s lead was again down to one, 44-43, after Babauta’s explosion and Lauron and Devero’s contributions. Lizama saw limited minutes for SCS in the third due to foul trouble.

In the fourth quarter, Lizama reported back for duty and saved the day for SCS, nailing nine of his total points in the payoff period.

[B]Smart Cagers 82, QQ Rent A Car 79[/B]

In the first game, Smart Cagers bounced back from their debut loss to Mobil Smiles (72-79) after slipping past QQ Rent A Car.

Edwin Santos top-scored in Smart Cagers win with 17, but Pete Iguel and Errol Peredo were the ones who bailed the team out of trouble in the fourth quarter. Iguel scored six of Smart Cagers last eight points, while Peredo logged seven straight markers midway in the final canto to grab the driver’s set. Peredo finished with 16, while Iguel had 14, 10 of them came in the fourth period.

Smart Cagers were behind at the end of the third, 66-58, when Iguel and Peredo teamed up in the recovery and stole the win. They combined for 17 of Smart Cagers’ 24 points and outgunned the entire QQ Rent A Car crew, who was held to 12 points in the final frame.

[B]First Game

Smart Cagers 82[/B] – Santos 17, Peredo 16, Iguel 14, De Dios 11, Aughenbaugh 4, Sacramento 3, Dayrit 3, Gamboa 3, Usi 3.

[B]QQ Rent A Car 79 [/B]– Mangali 20, Sison 17, Pagarao 14, Montes 10, Paraiso 7, Camacho 7, Bahillo 3.
[B] Scoring by quarters: [/B]25-21, 39-42, 58-66, 82-79.

[B]Second Game

SCS HE Rental 60[/B] – Lizama 20, Tamayo 17, Aquino 10, Galarse 6, Manalo Ritual 2, Tobias 2.
[B] Hite Beer/Blue Haus 57[/B] – Z. Babauta 17, Devero 11, Lauron 10, Tenorio 5, Lisua 4, R. Babauta 4, Palacios 2, Park 2.

[B]Scoring by quarters:[/B] 16-15, 26-22, 44-43, 60-57.