Nation Paints’ John Therese Buhawe attempts a difficult shot while being heavily defended by Knoxout’s players during their CABC Boysen Cup 2023 semifinals game. | Photo from Ronex Tolin
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Nation Paints has advanced to the coveted finals of the ongoing Cebu Architects Basketball Club (CABC) Boysen Cup 2023 after narrowly beating Knoxout, 85-81, on Sunday, November 26, 2023, at the Benedicto College gymnasium.
John Therese Buhawe erupted for a huge double-double game to carry Nation Paints to the finals.
Buhawe finished with 27 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. His teammate Sokrates Nagel also had a double-double outing of 19 points with 12 boards, while Anthony Bajenting joined them with his own double-double game of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Zach Elisha Go added 15 points with six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Meanwhile, Duane Anino spoiled his 23-point game as Knoxout officially exited the tournament after failing to upset the twice-to-beat Nation Paints in the semifinals.
Carlos Baltar, Darren Morandante, and Kurt Ian Damandaman scored 17, 15, and 12 points, in Knoxout’s losing efforts.
Contrastingly, Permacoat defeated Titan, 63-42, forcing the latter into a rubber match on December 3 in the other semifinals game.
Permacoat erased Titan’s twice-to-beat advantage with Gerald Lentorio leading the upset victory with his 19-point outing. He paired it with four boards and one assist.
His teammates Justin Aspacio and Ferdinand Tiro combined for 16 points.
Meanwhile, not a single player from Titan tallied double-digit points. Their highest scorer Kimboy Marilao had nine points, but he grabbed 13 boards.
Abet Ceniza and Pido Sanchez each tallied eight markers in their defeat.
The winning team this coming Sunday will face Nation Paints in the finals.
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