Talisay, Carmen rout foes in Governor’s Cup hoopla
Playing before their fans proved to be extra charger for host Talisay City and Carmen as they pulled off lopsided wins over separate rivals at the resumption of the 2017 Cebu Governor’s Cup Under-12 Inter-Cities/Municipalities Basketball Tournament last Wednesday night.
In S1 bracket, the Talisay City Aqua Stars drowned the San Fernando Spartans, 76-48, at the Talisay City Sports and Cultural Center, while the hardcourt warriors of Carmen were similarly impressive in their 99-78 shellacking of Sogod in N2 group play at the Carmen municipal gym.
Elmer Echavez topscored for Talisay with 12 points, while Richmon Lapinid and Vyrun Villanel chipped in with 11 markers apiece. Johnson Klen Saramosing had 15 points for San Fernando, which was heavily crippled following the ejection of their top gunner Roland Alferez with 2:13 left in the third period.
In the other games, Argao whipped Sibonga, 90-83, while Minglanilla escaped with a 81-75 victory over Naga City.
Up north, Christian Philipp Bejoc sizzled with 18 points for Carmen, while Elver Bonjoc and James Ronel Veloso had 23 points in between them.
The other matches saw Danao City easing out a 87-68 win against Balamban, while Tuburan stunned Borbon, 105-99.
Gov. Cup action swings to Bantayan Island today with the N3 teams taking centerstage in the next three days, while S2 squads resume their battle in Samboan.
In North, Madridejos and Bantayan will slug it out at the Madridejos municipal gym right after Sta. Fe and San Remigio take on each other and Bogo City going up against Medellin.
Samboan, on the other hand, shoots for its second win when it goes up against Ginatilan at 8 p.m. In the preliminary games, Santander will play against Dalaguete at 5 p.m. while Alcoy faces off with Boljoon at 6:30 p.m.—EBV
ONE Championship bouts in an arena in Luzon? That might just happen.
Noting the warm reception the mixed martial arts promotion has been getting here, ONE's vice president for public relations and communications Loren Mack said that a card in Cebu is highly likely.
"The fan base is there. It's not a matter of if, but when," he said during the "Kings of Destiny" presser Tuesday.
"It's something we keep an eye on, we're open to it and we're looking at when the best time to do this."
"The demand in Manila is hard to keep up with," Mack admitted. "We're trying to do that to satisfy the fans in the Philippines."
"From pre-event festivities to fight night, every Filipino stays glued watching us. ONE sincerely appreciates the support, which is why we make sure to provide the best card for our Filipino audience,” he said.
With Eduard Folayang's first title defense just around the corner, Mack said that the first of the two fight nights set here for this year is a "gesture of appreciation for Filipinos."
"This is our 10th event in Manila, and we aim to give the Philippines the absolute best that will keep our audiences at the edge of their seats,” he added.
The showpiece on Friday will feature Folayang defending his ONE lightweight title against Malaysia's Ev Ting. Seven more home-grown talents will showcase their wares at when the skirmish opens at 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
And things are only going to get better as the promotion moves forward, he said.
"I think the reality is that the Philippines is MMA crazy. You can't put on enough shows in a year to satisfy the demand," Mack offered.
"It's gonna be better and better. We haven’t disappointed thus far and we don't plan to disappoint in decades to come." —
Philstar.com