Lite, Brute pull off shocking upsets to set finals clash

Lite’s Michael Cinco drives to the basket during their CABC 1st Mortabond Cup semifinals match against Strakgrout. | CABC photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Cebu Architects Basketball Club (CABC) 1st Mortabond Cup saw major shake-ups in the semifinals as Lite and Brute delivered stunning upsets, knocking out the top two seeds in a thrilling fashion on Sunday, October 6.

Both teams will now face off in an unexpected finals showdown on October 13 that will be held at the Benedicto College Gymnasium.

Undermanned but undeterred, Lite outlasted Strakgrout, 78-73, during their game on Sunday, with Michael Cinco putting on a masterful double-double performance. Cinco tallied a game-high of 34 points along with 13 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block, leading his short-handed squad, which only fielded seven players, to victory. At one point, Lite surged to a commanding 17-point lead, 36-19.

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John Buhawe contributed a stellar double-double of his own with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five steals, and two assists, while Pido Sanchez chipped in 13 points for Lite’s surprising win in their game in the CABC semifinals.

For Strakgrout, Jay Devenadera led the charge with 18 points, while Mark Bajenting registered a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards. Kimboy Marilao added 10 points, but their efforts fell short of securing a finals berth.

In the other semifinals game in the CABC 1st Mortabond Cup, Brute narrowly edged out Mortaseal, 77-73, in a tightly contested match. Dexsel Caadan spearheaded Brute’s offense, delivering 24 points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Teammates Carlos Baltar, Zach Go, and Miguel Cenabre supported the win with 16, 12, and 11 points, respectively.

Mortaseal’s Chester Hinagdanan tried to lead his team into the finals with 23 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Brute. Lemuel Aspacio and Ferdinand Tiro added 15 and 11 points in the close loss.

Mortaseal and Strakgrout will now battle for third place at 2 p.m. on October 13, followed by the much-anticipated championship game at 3:30 p.m.