-JP SALVADOR
DAVAO CITY — A day after a mostly forgettable performance against the Kakay Hardware PHH, shooting guard Lance Omandac turned the corner with a better performance at the Green Heights on Sunday evening.
The ACGR went the opposite direction.
With a chance to sweep the season, ACGR was outclassed on the boards, beyond the arc, and on the defensive end. Mythical 5 member Ray Mamacus showed nothing but off to the final stretch. It mattered little that Omandac, a Kakay PHH commit, emerged as one of its most reliable two-way players in the win against ACGR.
Undermanned Kakay Hardware PHH edges ACGR with a come from behind win. They pulled away in the fourth quarter, beating ACGR, 70-67. Despite missing key players, Kakay surged ahead, en route to their first win of best of 3 quarterfinals.
“Unexpected talaga ang naging result dahil una, nag expect kami na ibang team ang makakalaban namin prior sa start ng playoffs, at nung nalaman namin na against ACGR with twice-to-beat edge, yun ang nagbigay samin ng challenge. The mindset prior to the game is to at least give them a good fight. ‘Di namin inexpect na manalo, humugot lang kami sa strength namin as a team. Na-test ang aming character and identity, and we hope to give our best again comes friday game.”
said playing coach, Pije Leopoldo
Offensively, Benjie Elano got his production with a combination of outside shooting — something Kakay Hardware needed badly — and drives to the basket, at one point attacking ACGR off the dribble for a reverse layup to finish with a team-leading 3 points. No one else on ACGR had more than 22.
ACGR just fell short of 3 marks and will try to bounce back on game 2 on Friday.
The JP Sports 