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Maplas gets last playoff berth
Maplas punched the last playoff ticket in the 2015 DLX Invitational Basketball League after defeating Go See Mark, 79-63, in the final elimination round match last Saturday night at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court.
Maplas finished the round-robin regular season with a 2-5 record to place sixth in the team standings and earn the right to challenge third-ranked Eye Sees for one of the two remaining semis slots. No. 4 and 5 placers Mawati (4-3) and Island Manpower (3-4) will dispute the other semis berth, while Top 2 finishers SSFM/New Garapan Market (7-0) and Jake’s Catering (6-1) gained the two Final Four tickets.
Jaymark Mendoza and Ed Pangelinan towed Maplas to the crucial victory, combining for more than half of the team’s total points with the former scoring 21 and the latter adding 19.
Mendoza drilled 12 of his total points in the fourth-quarter breakaway, turning a slim 48-44 lead at the end of the third period to a 16-point winning margin. Pangelinan, on the other hand, kept Maplas afloat in the first half.
The Maplas shooter, who fired the team’s first 5 points, knocked in three triples in the second half, helping his squad cut GSM’s lead to one at the break, 28-29. GSM built a 9-point cushion in the first period, 19-10, thanks to Kelvin Fitial’s 11 points.
Fitial kept going in the second period and was also at the forefront of GSM’s offense, but got limited help from his teammates. In contrast, Mendoza and Pangelinan drew support from Ryan Odicta, Gerald Aniciete, and Ed Yalung in the second half to steal the lead and the win.
Maplas plays Eye Sees tonight in the first playoff match at 6:30pm, while Mawati and Island Manpower square off in the 8pm game. Winners of tonight’s matches will join SSFM and Jake’s Catering in the semifinals, which will start after the Holy Week break.
Maplas 79 – Mendoza 21, Pangelinan 19, Yalung 12, Odicta 9, Aniciete 6, Rivera 2, Cortez 2, Verano 2, Surla 1.
GSM 63 – Fitial 24, Ada 19, Hambros 16, Camacho 2, Nicholas 2.
Scoring by quarter: 19-10, 28-29, 48-44, 79-63.
