The Lexmark Stallions banked on a game-turning second-quarter run to turn back the Convergys Converters, 65-63, in a battle of unbeaten teams in the 11th City Sports Club-Cebu (CSC-C) E-League for Basketball last Sunday at the CSC-C Gym.
The tight victory gave the Stallions the solo number-one spot in the Elite Classic standings, staying unbeaten after four games while dealing the Converters their first loss in four outings.
Lexmark, last year’s losing finalist, trailed after the first period, 11-15, but countered with a 22-12 attack in the second stanza to lead at the turn, 33-27.
The Stallions never relinquished the lead up to the final buzzer to preserve their perfect start in the season.
Vill Duero led the Stallions with 16 points and Silvester Millevo chipped in 11 markers.
Kenneth Dysam topped the Converters with 20 points, while Sherwin Anghay and Sherwin Resilla pitched in 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
Also chalking up wins in the Elite Classic were the Wipro Tigers and the Accenture Sharks with the former downing the listless Convergys Blue Devils, 70-61, and the latter tripping the Sykes Pioneers, 72-64.
Clifford Amarado scored 23 points, Brian Deodoro tallied 15, while Franz Martinez and Pol Klinton Alfeche each had 11 markers in the Tigers’ second win in four games.
Archie Brian Vincent Batua led the Sharks’ second victory against the same number of defeats by scoring 27 points. He was backed by Ildefonso Bulangis Jr. and Julian Kyle Suerte, who had 13 and 12, respectively.
In the lone EVO League encounter, the Kyocera Frontiers showed no signs of fatigue to snatch a second win in two days after they escaped the Author Solutions Inc. (ASI) Hardbacks, 51-49.
Getting a good follow-up to their 68-51 win over Contact Solutions last Saturday, the Frontiers drew 11 points each from Junrey Cabarrubias and Winston Stephen Panal for their fifth victory in six starts.
Jonas Panerio made five triples in the first half to lead the Hardbacks with 15 markers.