THE CEBU Landmasters rode on the white-hot shooting of swingman Moncrief Rogado, who scored a whopping 30 points, to tow the squad to a 94-84 victory over Gaisano Capital in Division A action in the PLDT SME Nation – Alfredo Gothong 21ST SHAABAA Cup Basketball Tournament last Sunday at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu campus in Canduman, Mandaue City.
Rogado, also a former ace of the University of Southern Philippines and the University of Cebu before making his way to San Miguel as a practice player, scored from all angles to help the Landmasters claim their fourth win in five tries. Most importantly, his scoring explosion helped his team withstand the 35-point barrage of Gaisano’s ace guard, Arc Gabrielle Araw-Araw.
The Landmasters now stand alone at the top of the ladder at 4-1 while their victims fell into a tie for second place at 3-2 alongside Bayfront Hotel Cebu, which got beaten by the reigning titleholder Petron Bling Nation, 53-58.
The loss was Bayfront’s second in a row after starting the competition with three wins in a row.
Petron hustled behind the play of guard Gabe Branzuela, who scored 12.