Contrasting victories carried Pound 4 Pound Fitness and EXL to the Finals of the Recreational Division of the Next5Hoops Metro Manila 2nd South Leg Qualifier.
But it’s going to be back to zero in the final when the two teams meet in what is expected to be winner-take-all championship game at Asia Pacific College on March 26.
P4P Fitness banked on a clutch basket to beat Shogun, 65-64, and enter the Finals.
Cris De Lucas capped his all-around showing with the game-winning shot with .23 seconds left to deliver the win for P4P Fitness. He finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Adam Madrelejos paced P4P Fitness with 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while Mark Enriquez added 10 markers, 13 boards and two dimes.
With three guys contributing double-digit rebounds, P4P Fitness got its biggest edge off the glass, 57-39.
Despite getting outrebounded, Shogun fought a hard game downlow with Justin Lopez leading the charge. He wound up with a monster effort of 20 points and 21 boards in the loss.
Meanwhile, EXL pulled away in the third quarter to oust Vinta Victors, 86-71.
With a 51-point output in the second and third quarters combined, EXL built a safe distance from Vinta Victors, leading by as much as 22 points in the fourth.
Three players scored at least 19 points for EXL with Derick Stephenson, Butch Belen and JV Celadena churned out 21, 20 and 19, respectively.
The three scored in succession to give EXL a 77-55 advantage with a little under seven minutes to play.
Vinta Victors went toe-to-toe with EXL in the first quarter but eventually lost steam. Dan De Guzman had 19 points and three rebounds for naught.
