Makalaro Lang, Pasion De Amor ahead

Makalaro Lang and Pasion De Amor are on top of their respective suspended matches in the 2015 Blue Haus/IT&E Inter-Color Basketball League.

Purple Rain’s Bruce Berline towers over his teammates and Makalaro Lang players, making it easy for him to get the rebound in this play in the first half of their game in the Blue Haus-IT&E caging last Saturday at the Navy Hill court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Makalaro Lang is clinging to a 28-25 advantage against Purple Rain with 17:59 left in their game last Saturday at the Navy Hill court, while Pasion De Amor is also holding on to a shaky lead, 65-63, versus Eh Di Wow in their last Friday matchup that was halted at the 1:41 mark.

Pasion De Amor (2-2) turned the tables on the winless Eh Di Wow in the second half after overhauling a double-digit deficit behind the hot 3-point shooting of team captain Elmer Esdrelon and baskets in the paint from forward Bart Demapan.

Esdrelon and company were behind by 9 at the break, 27-36, and were once down by 15 points midway in the first half when the veteran guard started connecting shots from downtown in the second half to anchor Pasion De Amor’s fight-back. Esdrelon knocked in four triples in the second half and at one point scored 8 straight markers to bring Pasion De Amor back into the game.

Pasion De Amor made five triples in the unfinished second half against none from Eh Di Wow with Nestor Arreza drilling the other one. Demapan contributed 8 markers in the second half recovery with his two charities giving Pasion De Amor the 2-point cushion before the match was suspended due to darkness.

Eh Di Wow lost its big lead in the second half, as only Lerio Pagarao and Jerome Reyes canned more than one field goal for the squad after a strong start in the first 20 minutes of play.

The continuation of the Eh Di Wow-Pasion De Amor tiff will be scheduled on a later date along with the resumption of the Makalaro Lang-Purple Rain duel.

Makalaro Lang erected an early double-digit spread, 10-0, but Purple Rain picked up its scoring in the closing minutes of the first half to stay afloat.

Matt Buenabajo surprisingly led Makalaro Lang’s blast in the opening minutes, nailing 6 of the team’s first 10 points. Ivan Devero scored the 4 other markers and added 7 more to keep Makalaro Lang’s twin-digit spread, 22-12, before Paul Bautista and Donnel Isip teamed up in Purple Rain’s 11-4 windup to cut the deficit to 3 after the first half, 23-26.

Bautista fired 4 points in that run, while Isip recorded Purple Rain’s last 5 points off a triple and another long-jumper, and Ray Deleon Guerrero logged the 2 other points. Earlier in the first half, Deleon Guerrero posted 5 straight points after Bruce Berline made Purple Rain’s first basket to lead the team’s comeback bid.

Purple Rain moved closer, 25-26, as Bautista added another basket to start the second half before Buenabajo countered with a baseline jumper and game officials decided to call it a day as it started to get dark.

Pending completion of the games over the weekend, Makalaro Lang (4-1) shares the top spot in the nine-team field with Wag Kang Pabebe (4-1). Oh My J is at second place with its 3-1 slate, followed by Hard Kulangot (3-2), Purple Rain (2-2), Pasion De Amor (2-2), Red Rice (1-3), Navy Hill Kidlat (1-4), and Eh Di Wow (0-5).