Dumanjug seizes control in Malabuyoc, nears Calderon Cup title
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the packed hometown crowd roaring behind Malabuyoc, Dumanjug delivered the kind of championship poise expected from a title favorite.
Dumanjug seized control late and silenced the home crowd with a commanding 90-77 victory over Malabuyoc in Game 1 of the Best-of-Three Finals of the inaugural Calderon Cup Under-21 Inter-Town Basketball Tournament on Friday night, May 8, at the Malabuyoc Sports Complex in south Cebu.
Now carrying a 1-0 series lead, Dumanjug stands just one win away from capturing the historic and inaugural Calderon Cup championship organized by Congresswoman Patricia Calderon.
READ: Calderon Cup: Moalboal escapes Ronda; Dumanjug seals semis berth
With momentum now firmly on their side, Dumanjug will have the opportunity to close out the series on their home floor tonight at 8 p.m. inside the Dumanjug Astrodome.
Leading the charge was MVP frontrunner Jhun Miguel Telmo, who dominated both ends with a monster double-double of 19 points and 18 rebounds while adding an assist in a highly efficient outing. Telmo shot an impressive 58-percent from the field, knocking down seven of his 12 attempts in just 23 minutes of action.
READ: Calderon Cup: Moalboal escapes Ronda; Dumanjug seals semis berth
TJ Tejedor provided the spark off the bench with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Cleveron Jay Fernandez chipped in 10 markers for the balanced Dumanjug attack.
The victory unfolded in front of Dumanjug Mayor Gungun Gica, alongside fellow mayors from Cebu’s 7th District and Cong. Calderon herself.
Malabuyoc came out aggressive early, racing to an 11-7 lead behind the energy of its home crowd. But Dumanjug answered like a seasoned finals team.
A momentum-shifting steal by Telmo ignited a quick rally before Fernandez converted the game-tying basket to knot the score at 11-all.
Moments later, Dumanjug grabbed the lead for good and finished the opening quarter with a commanding 28-21 advantage.
Malabuyoc threatened in the second canto after trimming the deficit to just one, 38-37, behind timely baskets and free throws from Jake Leo Quim.
But every Malabuyoc push was met with a composed Dumanjug response as the visitors stretched the lead back to double digits and entered halftime ahead, 47-37.
From there, Dumanjug tightened its grip on the game.
Behind relentless transition attacks and dominant bench production, Dumanjug blew the game wide open in the fourth quarter, building its largest lead at 88-68 and effectively crushing Malabuyoc’s comeback hopes.
Despite the final margin, the battle inside the paint remained close, with Dumanjug holding only a slim 48-46 edge. The difference came from everywhere else.
Dumanjug’s second unit outscored Malabuyoc’s bench, 42-32, with Tejedor spearheading the offensive burst. They also punished Malabuyoc in transition with a 29-19 advantage in fastbreak points while dominating second-chance opportunities, 25-13.
Malabuyoc still had four players finish in double figures in a gutsy losing effort.
Jayson Cabrera matched Telmo with 19 points alongside four rebounds, three steals, and an assist. Quim flirted with a double-double after tallying 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a steal, while Joseph Velarde powered his way to 14 points and 17 rebounds with six assists, two steals, and a block. John Anthony Ponce added 11 markers.
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