Consolacion edges Mandaue 81-79, captures PSL 21-Under Visayas crown

THE Consolacion Sarok Weavers captured the Visayas championship in the Pilipinas Super League 21-Under as it edged the Sherilin-Unisol Mandaue Plastic Men, 81-79, in the winner-take-all Game 4 on Aug. 30 at the jampacked Cebu City Sports Institute in Sawang Calero.

With the game tied at 79-all, the Sarok Weavers inbounded the ball to point guard Paolo Dalumpines who was immediately trapped at midcourt by the Sherilin defense. The crafty guard, though, squeezed a pass to Rovello Robles, who took advantage of the open lane to drive to the rim and sink a tough layup for an 81-79 lead with six seconds remaining.

On Sherilin’s last offensive, they got the ball to Zylle Cabellon who received a screen and shot the potential game-winning three-pointer. However, the shot was off to the left as the final buzzer sounded, giving Consolacion the heart-stopping victory.

Dalumpines led the Sarok Weavers with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Matt Flores—the Visayas MVP— added 15 points including an open baseline jumper that put Consolacion in front, 79-75, with 59 seconds to go.

Keaton Taburnal also came alive to score 15 markers. Froiland Maglasang chipped in 13 points to help Consolacion capture its second PSL crown in a row.

Zylle Cabellon had 14 points, including four in a row with under a minute to tie the game up at 79-all. The fearless guard first made two free throws off an unsportsmanlike foul committed by Consolacion’s Dave Paulo. He then sank a layup with 17 ticks left in the match to equalize the count.

Daryl Guerrero added 10 markers before limping out of the game due to an ankle injury.

In the Mindanao division, the Davao Occidental Dreamers hung on to top the Bukidnon Cowboys, 79-76, in the decisive Game 3 to nab the title.

The Dreamers seized the momentum in the third canto, as they took a 12-point lead to the final canto, 64-52. The Cowboys, though, persevered and slowly chipped away at the deficit to pull to within two, 76-78, after a three-pointer by Mindanao MVP Ivo Salarda with 10 seconds to go.

On Davao Occidental’s next possession, Reymark Narbasa was immediately fouled and split his free-throws for a 79-76 advantage. Bukidnon had one last gasp at tying the ballgame up but Raul Gentallan’s three-point attempt fell short, giving Davao Occidental the Game Three win and the championship.

Jude Bagay paced the Dreamers with 20 points and eight rebounds. Rainier Maga was also impressive, putting up 17 for Davao Occidental. Lawrence Angeles came off the bench and gave the Dreamers a spark with his 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Consolacion, Davao Occidental and Pampanga will now compete in the PSL Battle of Champions, which will happen at the same venue starting Sept. 2.