D-League Massacre: Maynilad blows past Powerade by 52 points
Maynilad hardly broke out a sweat in whipping Junior Powerade, 119-67, on Tuesdayâs first game of a double header in the PBA D-League at the Oreta Gym. In scoring the most lopsided win of the leagueâs inaugural staging, the Water Dragons were able to pull away as early as the first five minutes and were never seriously threatened from there. PBA head statistician Fidel Mangonon III confirmed the 52-point win was the most lopsided in the league. Ironically, it was Maynilad itself which established the previous biggest winning margin that was 32 points. âThe win was the most lopsided since Mayniladâs 106-74 win over Café France on April 5," added Mangonon. Maynilad established the feat despite missing the services of Sudan Daniel, who was advised to rest his injured ankle and recuperate in time for the NCAA cage wars. But coach Frankie Lim was back from a one-game suspension and former Red Lion, Borgie Hermida, who was acquired in a buyout from PBA team Barako Bull, quickly made his presence felt to establish order in the Water Dragonsâ offense. The pint-sized guard scored 10 points, dished out 10 assists and plucked down six rebounds. More importantly, Hermida was able to show his leadership, something which he did with the Red Lions squad in their last collegiate season. âNa-miss ko talaga maglaro kasama yung teammates ko. At tsaka hindi lang naman kasi ito basta-bastang game, dala rin namin yung pangalan ng school dito," he said. âCareer move ito para sa akin. Nagpa-buyout ako sa Barako kasi ayaw ko naman ma-tengga. At tsaka gusto ko ring maglaro hanggaât fresh pa [from college basketball]," explained Hermida. But Lim, the Lionsâ multi-titled champion coach, believes itâs their defense that played a key role in the easy victory. âWe surprised them with our zone and we took some great shots na nagkapatong-patong nga. We finally ended the losing streak. Sana tumuloy-tuloy na nga sa PBA at sa Fil-Oil," said Lim. The atmosphere inside the coliseum has taken its toll on some of the players. âBaka himatayin ako mamaya sa court habang naglalaro sa sobrang init," quipped Dave Marcelo while they were warming up. But the Water Dragons were hardly affected by the uncomfortable conditions, with Hermida, Marcelo and Garvo Lanete spearheading an early Maynilad breakaway to post a 24-3 lead with a little over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Anjo Caram and Melo Lim joined in the scoring fray in the fourth quarter behind their long-range bombs as Maynilad buried the Tigers. The Tigersâ James Martinez and Moriah Gingerich desperately tried to get their team back in the game by scoring two three-pointers each, but the Water Dragonsâ firepower were in full display and proved to be too much for Powerade. - KY/RCJ/OMG, GMA News