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Red Rice leads suspended game
Red Rice is ahead of Kidlat, 40-31, in the suspended game in the 2015 Blue Haus/IT&E Inter-Color Basketball League played last Wednesday at the Navy Hill court.
Red Rice’s Michael Cabanas unloads a point-blank shot against Hard Kulangot’s J.R. Barrios, while Marlon De Dios, left, and Darwin Barbo jockey for position in the rebound play during their game in the Blue Haus-IT&E caging at the Navy Hill court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
Pending results of the match that was halted due to darkness, Red Rice (2-3) stayed at the No. 7 spot in the team standings. Kidlat was a notch lower at No. 8 with its 1-4 record. Makalaro Lang (4-1), Hard Kulangot (3-1), Wag Kang Pabebe (3-1), Oh My J (3-1), Pasion De Amor (2-2), Purple Rain (2-2) and the winless Eh Di Wow (0-5) complete the field.
Kidlat fell behind in the first half as it challenged Red Rice without its top scorer Manolo Manalo. Red Rice, on the other hand, had old reliables—Darwin Barbo and Michael Cabanas—delivering the goods for the team to move closer to ending their two-game slide.
Barbo so far has fired a game-high 15 points, while Cabanas already has chipped in 13 to outclass Kidlat in a battle of depleted squads. Both teams played with only five players each available for last Wednesday’s match. Joseph Achas, Arman Anasan, and Danrey Chan were the other players who suited up for Red Rice with the former contributing 6 and the last two adding 4 and 2.
Barbo and Cabanas alternately hit baskets for Red Rice early in the game to give their team control of the match. Cabanas scored Red Rice’ first 6 points, while Barbo also had a streak, nailing the squad’s next 7 markers. Barbo had another string of points late in the first half, as he knocked in three straight baskets.
Cabanas and Barbo’s combined output in the first half allowed Red Rice to withstand the good 3-point shooting of Kidlat in the opening 20 minutes of play. Kidlat got its first 9 markers from downtown off the two triples from Justin Zapanta and one from White Capalad. Zapanta nailed one more shot from beyond the arc midway in that period before he was held to one field goal the rest of the way, as Kidlat clearly missed the production of Manalo.
Meanwhile, games this weekend are as follows: Pasion De Amor versus Ed Di Wow tonight; Hard Kulangot against Wag Kang Pabebe and Makalaro Lang over Purple Rain this Saturday; and Oh My J versus Kidlat and Red Rice against Wag Kang Pabebe this Sunday.
