Supportsave, Telstra get past opponents in E-League semis

THE Supportsave Dragons and the Telstra Boomerangs prevailed over separate opponents to draw first blood in their respective best-of-three semifinal round series in the EVO League of the 11th City Sports Club-Cebu (CSC-C) E-League for Basketball last Saturday at the CSC-C Gym.
The Dragons, the number-one seed in the playoffs, got past the fourth-seed Author Solutions Inc. (ASI) Hardbacks, 77-70, while the third-seed Boomerangs edged out the second-ranked Kyocera Frontiers, 69-67.
A force to reckon with in the elimination round, Niño Belande continued his strong showing in the playoffs, leading the way for the Dragons by piling up 32 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Germaine Jo Guarisma added 14 points and Gerald Mari Baritua chipped in 11 markers for the Dragons, who came up with a telling run in the middle period to seal the win.
The two teams ended up tied at 15-all after the first quarter but Supportsave staged a 19-16 run in the second and followed it up with a 21-14 assault in the third to erect a 55-45 lead with one quarter left to play.
Donald Stephen de Leon led the Hardbacks with his double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Armalon Fernandez was also productive as he finished with 14 marker, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal. Jonas Panerio and Justin Jay Dela Cruz donated 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Sam Jordan Hermosa, meanwhile, also continued to fill the stat sheets, collecting 26 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead the Boomerangs’ shaky two-point win.
Brennan Gonzales backed Hermosa with 13 points, while Jaygard Vios and Jasper Diaz combined for 17 markers with the latter also collaring 15 rebounds.
Junrey Cabarrubias topped the Frontiers with 16 points. Ariel Ramonito Edera cashed in 15 markers and Eduardo Tuico Jr. had 13 points.