Cabahug, Juntilla move MisOr closer to TOP crown

Patrick Cabahug and Reed Juntilla teamed up to help Misamis Oriental pull off a 75-71 Game 3 win over Cebu in the Tournament of the Philippines finals Friday night at the Xavier University Gym in Cagayan de Oro City. Cabahug and Juntilla came through with clutch baskets down the stretch as the Meteors, who squandered a 12-point lead (62-50) entering the final canto, managed to find ways to keep the Niños at bay. The win moved MisOr one win from from clinching the title in this tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas. “I’ve been coaching for a number of years and still looking at a way to assure one team’s victory," said MisOr mentor Jun Noel, who had anxious moments in the game after the Ninos grabbed the lead twice in the final five minutes of the contest. Cebu, the top team after the nine-leg elimination round, opened the fourth period with four three-pointers to keep the game close. Ariel Mepana, Stephen Padilla and Bruce Dacia fired three straight treys that highlighted Cebu’s dizzying 16-2 run as the Niños took a 66-64 advantage. The visiting squad was still ahead, 68-66, midway in the game before Cabahug and Juntilla made their move. Cabahug, a former UAAP scoring champion, buried back-to-back jumpers the first one tying the count at 68-all and the last one, a high-banking shot, pushed the Meteors up for good. A Juntilla split free throw and jumper extended MisOr’s lead to four, 73-69, with 28 seconds left in the clock. Padilla made two free throws to cut the lead to two. Cebu even had the chance to trim it further or tie the score with a three-pointer after Juntilla made one of his gift shots for 74-71 lead with 22 ticks left. But luck was not on Cebu’s as Padilla’s game tying trey just hit the rim. Froilan Baguion managed to grab the rebound but lost the ball at the baseline. Baguion then was forced to foul Juntilla, who sank the first free throw and deliberately missed the second. “The boys simply don’t want to lose right in front of their home crowd. I hope they will carry the same attitude in Game 4," added Noel. Cabahug finished with 23 points while Juntilla added 19 markers. Padilla and Mepana scored 16 and 12 each for Cebu. – JVP, GMANews.TV