J and J and Wednesday Group are off to a good start in the new year as they barged into the Top 8 of the Next5Hoops Metro Manila Central Leg after easy wins last January 8.
Black Label and Fuel Saver also secured a ticket to the quarterfinals.
Behind the efforts of Jason Manuel and JR Olegario, J and J had no troubles scoring a 113-83 rout of Red Cubs at Asia Pacific College in Makati.
Manuel and Olegario were relentless for J and J, finishing with 34 and 29 points, respectively and turning the game into a no contest as early as the second quarter.
From just a five-point lead after the first period, J and J pulled away with a 30-13 run and never looked back, leading by as many as 37 points late in the game.
If not for the valiant efforts of James Panaligan, who exploded for a game-best 39 points, Red Cubs would’ve been in bigger trouble.
Wednesday Group also had an easy time against Wizards, cruising to a 98-59 demolition.
Enjoying a balanced effort from all players, Wednesday Group was never threatened since pushing the lead to double digits late in the opening period.
It even led by a whopping 48 points with eight minutes to play.
All 12 players chipped in at least two points with Roy Cayanan, Jonathan Barrios, Andrew Bantug and Ian Rosales leading with 14, 12, 11 and 10 markers, in that order.
With only seven players contributing, Wizards couldn’t get anything going. John Bequillo had a team-best 21 points.
Meanwhile, Black Label pulled away with a 92-78 victory over Caron.
With a 13-1 run to close the game, Black Label turned a two-point lead into a 14-point victory in just a span of three minutes.
Mark Tarrobal came away with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead Black Label while Art Andres and Carl Quiambao provided solid back up with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
Caron kept coming back despite falling behind by double digits several times in the game. However, it couldn’t come close enough to over take Black Label.
Kevin Lucente churned out 27 points and 17 rebounds in a losing effort for Caron.
Fuel Saver joined the other three teams in the Top 8 after an 86-82 nipping of West Rembo Ballers.
The starters carried Fuel Saver to victory, taking care of 73 of the team’s total score. There are only two other scorers outside of the starting five.
Kenneth Valenzuela paced Fuel Saver with 24 points while four others had double-digit contributions.
Fuel Saver took the lead for good after a three-pointer from Dela Cruz with 6:55 left in the game, 71-68, and never trailed again after that.
