Sarok Weavers survive tough test vs Dreamers
You can’t underestimate the heart of a champion.
The Consolacion Sarok Weavers proved that as they courageously overhauled an early 14-point deficit, then showed nerves of steel when the game was on the line to frustrate the debuting Davao Occidental Dreamers via a 76-72 thriller at the start at the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) Under 21 Aspirants Division Second Conference last Friday at the Toledo City Megadome.
The Dreamers sprinted to a blistering 18-4 start and were still up by a doubledigit after the first period, 20-9, but the Sarok Weavers unleashed a devastating 19-1 counterattack to seize control of the match, 28-21.
The Dreamers, however, quickly retaliated with a 8-0 blast to regain the lead, 29-28, and in the process set up the stage for a down-the-wire encounter that thrilled the large throng of spectators to the bones.
From there onwards, the
two protagonists figured in a close-quarter battle resulting to several lead changes and deadlocks, the last was at 72all on a 3-pointer by Rainer Maga with 2:52 left to play.
Interestingly, that was
Davao Occidental’s last shot of the night.
In the game’s thrilling finale that saw both sides misfiring their targets for over a minute, Matthew Flores went 3-of-4 from the line in the dying seconds before Keaton Taburnal split his charities to wrap things up for the Sarok Weavers.
Froiland Maglasang shined the brightest for the Sarok Weavers, hitting 4-of7 from beyond the arc and 9-of-17 overall from the field en route to a game-high 22 points laced with five rebounds and two assists.
He was ably backed up by Taburnal with 15 points and five caroms as well as Rovello Robles, who tallied 11 markers on top of four boards. Flores scored only nine but was a monster in defense with 22 rebounds.
Earlier, Ivo Salarda unloaded a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds spiked with two assists and as many steals while Raul Gentallan chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and a record seven steals as the Bukidnon Cowboys gave the San Fernando Buffalos a rude welcome in the league via 7560 romp. —