Sherilin Khalifa just a win away from earning PSL 18-U Visayas leg title
Lawrence Mangubat of Sherilin Khalifa-City of Naga. | Photo from the PSL
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Sherilin Khalifa-City of Naga is a win away from hoisting the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) 18-U Visayas leg title after taking game one versus the Consolacion Sarok Weavers, 66-61, in their Best-of-Three finals series on Saturday evening, June 17, 2023, at the Cebu City Sports Institute.
Sherilin Khalifa, a newcomer in the league remained undefeated since the elimination round, stretching their winning streak to eight.
Cebu Institute of Technology-University’s (CIT-U) Wildkitten’s star guard Lawrence Mangubat led Sherilin Khalifa with his double-double outing of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Glen Contado added 16 points, one rebound, two assists, four steals, and one block, and Allen Roy Gako chipped in 10 points.
EJ Herbito scored 12 points with four boards, four steals, and two blocks for the Sarok Weavers. Lawrence Cacanog had 10 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, while Junel Colubio added 10 markers in their losing efforts.
Sherilin Khalifa started off hot with its 9-0 start, but the Sarok Weavers managed to turn the game around with its one-point lead, 18-17, to wrap the first period.
However, Sherilin quickly regained the lead by sealing the first half with a seven-point cushion, 33-26, with Jefferson Casaus topping it with a layup.
Sherilin Khalifa maintained its slim lead throughout the second half. Still, after several back-and-forth battles on the floor, Consolacion pulled itself within striking range, 51-54, after Dale Otero scored both his free throws with 6:23 left.
Sherilin Khalifa answered with a short scoring burst, to stretch their lead back to eight, 59-51, with 3:35 remaining by banking on the Sarok Weavers’ awful shooting down the stretch.
Contado’s free throws and Mangubat’s jumper gave Sherilin its first double-digit lead in the game, 62-52, as time winded down.
The Sarok Weavers made last efforts courtesy of Yzah Duga-Duga’s four-point run to cut the deficit to six, 59-65, but Glen Contado managed to sink one last free throw to secure his team a considerable lead. Herbito made a jumper, but it was a little too late to give the Sarok Weavers the win.
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