Panthers on a roll, win fifth Elite-Cebu crown
The Panthers gather for a group photo after winning their fifth Elite Basketball Club-Cebu title.
CONTRIBUTED
THE PANTHERS solidified their status as one of the best teams in the Elite Basketball Club-Cebu after scoring a 76-70 win over the Sharks in their championship game last Sunday at the Visayan Glass Gym in Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Not only did the Panthers beat the Sharks in a second straight finals meeting, but they also set a new league record as the only team to win five championship titles.
Rorie Paspie scored nine of the Panthers’ 20 points in the fourth quarter and led the defending champions in scoring with 21 points while Mark Panerio added 17 markers.
The Sharks led after the first and looked headed for redemption until the Panthers outscored them, 18-11, in the second period and led by five, 32-27, going into the final half.
In the third quarter, the Sharks kept up with the Panthers but had to deal with the absence of key players in Samsam Gullas and John Cabahug, who sat out the rest period due to foul trouble.
The Panthers took advantage of this and built a safe lead that was hard to overcome for the Sharks, even when Gullas and Cabahug returned.
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