It was another fun-filled, adrenalin-pumping, high-action day last November 5 at the Enderun College in Taguig as the Next5Hoops Metro Manila Intermediate Division got underway.
For the first game, Eastside wallops EC Gasifiers, 85-36 in a totally one-sided affair. Eastside was in control from start to finish and never let-up. On both ends of the floor, EC Gasifiers simply had no answer.
Michael Sarmiento had a game-high of 22 points while Jan-Jan Baltazar added 21 off the bench. Neil Manlavi was a stat-sheet stuffer that day with his 11 points, three rebounds, five assists, and seven steals.
The 49-point victory by Eastside is one the biggest winning margins this year. They scored 20 in the first ten minutes of the game while limiting their opponent to just three. Charles De Leon was the only player from EC Gasifiers who registered in double-digits with 10 points.
The day’s second game was much closer as R.Lapid’s was able to hold on to a narrow 57-56 win over Goto Pilipinas. JR Marcelo netted 14 points while Rodel Dequila and Jeff Benito combined for 22 points.
R.Lapid’s was leading by eight, 51-43, with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Goto Pilipinas would then gather themselves and fight back, scoring three quick buckets, highlighted by a Dandy Ramirez score.
The game went back and forth but R.Lapid’s was able to pull away thanks to some timely defensive execution in the endgame. A split on the line by Benito made it a two-point game with 13 seconds left gave Goto Pilipinas a chance to still win it. Totan Gonzales got fouled with four ticks left on the clock. Unfortunately, he knocked down just one of two free throws, inevitably giving the victory to R.Lapid’s.
At the Asia Pacific College meanwhile, Wednesday Group were winners of a close encounter with Tsek Repablik as they won 84-80.
Nino Romano played off the bench, but he top-scored for the Wednesday Group with 22 points. Romano shot lights out from therefloor, missing only a shot and going 7-for-8 from the field. Jordan Melano also had a solid outing for the winning team with his double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
For Tsek Repablik, Marvin Curitana put up 24 points and 14 boards in the loss.
