Sherilin-Unisol Mandaue nips Consolacion, takes Game 1 of PSL 21-Under Finals
SPEEDY guard Zylle Cabellon stepped up when Sherilin-Unisol Mandaue needed him most as he converted a difficult layup with 5.7 seconds remaining to give the Plastic Men a thrilling 52-51 win over the Consolacion Sarok Weavers in the Pilipinas Super League 21-Under Visayas finals on Aug. 28 at the Cordova Sports Complex.
Down by one, 50-51, after a booming three-pointer by Sarok Weavers’ forward Dave Paulo, Sherilin went to Cabellon, who went through a series of screens before spinning away from his defender and contorting his body mid-air to make a left-handed layup to give his team a 52-51 lead.
The Sarok Weavers had a shot at winning the game but Matthew Flores missed a three-pointer as time expired to give Sherilin the win and a 1-0 series lead. Sherilin will try to take the Visayas title in Game 2 on Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. at the same venue.
Cabellon had 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while Acer Go added 11 markers, six rebounds and two blocks.
Sherilin’s defense also helped limit Consolacion’s top guns as Flores made just 3-of-13 from the field for eight points. Paolo Dalumpines, on the other hand, scored just seven points.
Meanwhile, in the Mindanao finals, the Davao Occidental Dreamers took a step closer to annexing the Mindanao crown with a 55-48 win over the Bukidnon Cowboys in Game 1 of their series.
It was a very close ballgame but the Dreamers pulled through in the fourth period, holding the Cowboys down to just eight points, to hack out the win.
Jude Bagay led Davao Occidental with 16 points and six rebounds, while Marvin Samonte had a double-double of 14 points and 16 boards. /