THE Capital1 Solar Boys remained unblemished through two games even as Smarts Sports Scribes also barged into the win column in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Cup on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The Solar Boys, backed Capital1 Solar Energy and Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses, did enough to keep a gritty Say Chiz Smileys at bay to take a 67-58 win while the Scribes built a huge lead enough to weather a late fightback and come away with an 84-76 win over Strong Group Athletics Press Row Bros in the second week of the tournament that is one of the projects of PSA president Nelson Beltran of The Philippine Star and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Four players from Capital1, also supported by Uratex and Rebel, reached double figures with Aldo Aviñante and John Bryan Ulanday leading the attack with 21 and 19 points respectively.
Delfin Dioquino had 13 points, while Christian Jacinto had 11 points. Both imposed their will inside as the former also added 15 rebounds, while the latter hauled down 23 boards apart from three blocks.
The Solar Boys led by as many as 13 points in the first half but the Smileys threatened and cut the lead down to just two, 55-53. Capital1 regained footing after a 6-0 spurt but Jeric Lopez and Cedelf Tupas managed to keep Say Chiz within striking distance
An Ulanday basket made it 63-56 before Aviñante and Dioquino put on the finishing touches for the Solar Boys.
Lopez had a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds apart from posting three steals. Tupas added 17 points and four boards, while Jonas Terrado logged 15 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
In the nightcap, Julio Sampedro poured 16 of his 22 points in the first half, setting the tone for the Smarts Sports which led by as many as 30 points in the contest.
The dominant win however didn’t come without a huge scare as the Press Row Bros tried to mount a huge comeback in the fourth after outsourcing the scribes, 34-14.
The late fightback however proved futile as Smart Sports got some crucial hits from Reuben Terrado and AJ Bolando that sealed the win.
Sampedro also finished with 11 rebounds and six assists while Bolando added 22 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Flores paced Press Row Bros with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Lintag had 13 points and nine boards, while dela Paz chipped in 13 markers and 15 rebounds.