Mobil/Bayani slips past NMBA

Bayani/Mobil is back on track after escaping with a 91-87 victory over NMBA/Mixed Blood in the UFO Inter-Organization Basketball Friendship League 2011 Bud Cup on Thursday night at the TSL Sports Complex.

The win snapped Mobil’s three-game losing skid and improved its record to 4-3 for fourth place in the eight-team field.

The already eliminated NMBA finished the season with a 1-7 slate, but did not go out without a fight, as it scared Mobil all throughout the game before giving in at the closing seconds of the match.

NMBA threatened Mobil for the last time at the 12.5-second mark of the fourth period when Pete Lizama fouled Randy Mungcal from the three-point area with Bayani ahead by only three, 89-86.

Mungcal, who played the fourth quarter with a bump near his right eye after colliding with Derrick Aughenbaugh in the third period, made the first charity. He missed the second one badly as the ball hit nothing but air. Then on his third try, Mungcal intentionally muffed his shot, hoping to get the offensive rebound.

However, Jorge De Guzman took the defensive board and was fouled with 8.6 seconds to go in the match. De Guzman, who faltered on his two previous trips at the stripe, this time canned both free throws to give Mobil the insurance baskets.

Mobil won the closely fought match sans key players Jun Estolas and Gyles Ruluked.

Playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain, NMBA hung in there in the first half and even took the lead in the last three minutes of the third period, 62-58.

Mungcal kept NMBA afloat in the first quarter, 19-21, as he sizzled for 12 points. Mobil played too complacent in the opening quarter and could have pulled away in the second half with their several offensive rebounds, but it missed almost 20 charities, giving NMBA a chance to steal the game.

Mobil found more breathing space in the second period, 44-38, behind its balance scoring. The lead was stretched to 11, as Mobil had a quick 5-0 scoring with only less than a minute gone by in the third canto.

However, NMBA regrouped and with Morales drilling 13 points in the third period, Mobil lost the upper hand and fell behind at the end of that canto, 65-67.

In the majority of the first three periods, Mobil coach Marvin Deocares sat on the bench, not ready to push the panic button despite NMBA’s surge. However in the fourth quarter, Deocares stood up while giving instructions to his players.

The sense of urgency for Mobil was there in the fourth period and Deocares’ wards began stepping up. Mobil regained the upper hand and led by as much as six, 87-81, in the last 56.5 in the match.

Again, NMBA refused to give up, but still fell short, committing costly errors in the homestretch and missing important free throws.

De Guzman led Mobil with 14 points, while Leo Factor and Ernie Moises added 11 each. Ron Gamboa and Aughenbaugh had 10 apiece.

Morales paced NMBA with 31 points, while Mungcal tallied 27, but was without a field goal in the fourth quarter, as he was clearly bothered by the bump near his right eye.

[B]Bayani/Mobil 91[/B] – De Guzman 14, Factor 11, Moises 11, Gamboa 10, Augenbaugh 10, Sharry 9, Gapor 7, Lizama 6, Fernando 6, Wenceslao 2.

[B]NMBA/Mixed Blood 87[/B] – Morales 31, Mungcal 27, Ito 12, Detera 8, Roque 4, Valiente 2, Camacho 1.

[B]Scoring by quarters:[/B] 21-19, 44-38, 67-65, 91-87.