Hokage Ballers and Yokohama took contrasting paths to the SemiFinals of the Next5Hoops Metro Manila – Central Leg last January 8 at Asia Pacific College in Makati.
These two teams are the first to make it to the Recreational Division top four.
Hokage Ballers averted a heartbreak and fended off Badgers 94-90.
The team lost hold of an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter but salvaged the victory with a clutch 5-0 run in the final .24 seconds of the game.
After Badgers got a one-point advantage with a minute to go, Prince Martin came to the rescue and scored four straight points for Hokage Ballers to give them back the lead.
Joe Burata canned two freethrows to give them some distance at 93-90 with .17 seconds left.
Badgers then made two costly errors and couldn’t get a shot off until the final second, a desperate three from Aaron Villamarin.
Burata had 33 big points, including four triples, to pace Hokage Ballers while Martin added 16 markers, five rebounds and 10 assists.
For his efforts, Villamarin got 29 points and nine rebounds for Badgers.
Yokohama, meanwhile, didn’t waste time and zoomed to a 91-70 triumph over Fix and Care.
Unlike Hokage Ballers, Yokohama had the game virtually clinched by the end of the third period where it led by 25 points, 74-49.
Yokohama took care of that lead until the final buzzer, never letting Fix and Care come closer than 14 points.
Pong Olayres underscored the victory with 26 points than went along with seven rebounds while Carl Dia chipped in 19 points and four rebounds.
There was a lone bright spot for Fix and Care with Andrian Suguilon churning out 26 points and 14 rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
