FilOil: Chiefs outlast Blazers to stay unbeaten

The Arellano Chiefs stayed perfect in their FilOil Flying V Hans Preseason Cup campaign with a 3-0 record, atop Group A, after overpowering the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 63-50, Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

Former JRU Light Bomber Keith Agovida scored eight points in the final quarter and starting guard Nard Pinto added six to stave off the Blazers for good.
 
CSB still had a chance to make it a ballgame after Levi Hernandez was called for an unsportsmanlike foul in the middle of the fourth, but combo forward Mark Romero failed to make any of his free throws. An elbow jumper by guard Gio Jalalon proved to be the dagger, as Benilde didn't make anything from the field in the last four minutes of play.

After free throws by Romero to cut the lead to seven at 57-50, the Chiefs went on to score six straight points off Pinto and Agovida.
 
While Arellano stays spotless, the Blazers plunge deeper into the standings with a 0-2 card.

Pinto led his team with 17 points and six rebounds, followed by Agovida and forward-center Prince Caperal with 10 points apiece. Caperal also seized 11 rebounds, while Agovida had eight.
 
In their previous game, the Chiefs sent the Maroons hurtling to their second loss of the season thanks to their dominance of the glass. This game was no different, as the Chiefs converted 13 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, with Agovida grabbing five of them and converting them into six markers.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start, as CSB struggled to convert on its jumpers. Paolo Taha, after scoring the game’s first two points, missed all his ensuing shots. On the other end, Arellano’s slew of long, shooty forwards had a hard time converting from distance.
 
CSB took an early 6-2 lead, which was watered down by an 11-2 run by the Chiefs, capped off by a triple from sharpshooter Levi Hernandez.
 
Things got heated late in the first, after some jawing and bickering between CSB point guard RJ Argamino and Arellano guard Gio Jalalon. On an Arellano possession, Jalalon appeared to have smacked Argamino, who fell to the court, covering his face. Arellano Coach Koy Banal argued the call but received a technical foul in the process. Still the Chiefs had a slim lead, 13-10, after the initial period.
 
The Blazers' offense flowed in the second, as Benilde coach Gabby Velasco opted to utilize swingman Jonathan Grey’s drive-and-dish game, which yielded him results in the middle of the quarter. Grey scored five points, as CSB opted to take advantage of all its fast break opportunities. Benilde though was unable to maximize their chances as the Chiefs got back on defense, producing fastbreak stops, including three chase-down blocks in the quarter.
 
Every time CSB looked to pull away, Coach Banal looked to Prince Caperal to play the role of momentum-killer and score. Caperal took advantage of the beanpole Jericho De Guzman, using nifty jumpers to score six points in the quarter, helping produce a 26-all deadlock by the halftime break.
 
Grey and Dexter Garcia led Benilde with five points apiece at the intermission. The Blazers out-rebounded the Chiefs 26-21, with nine offensive rebounds. Free throw shooting was a big help to the Benilde cause, as CSB converted made eight of its 11 free throws, despite shooting only 27 percent from the field.
 
Pinto and Caperal led their team in scoring with eight points apiece, as marquee player James Forrester couldn’t find his shot. The Chiefs shot 34 percent rom the field, but their fouls gave way for CSB to forge a deadlock at the break
 
Arellano made a small rally in the third quarter, owing to consecutive three's from Forrester, who scored his first points of the game. Free throws were once again key, as Arellano managed to get five markers through the charity stripe. A careless inbounds pass however, brought Benilde within one point by the end of the third, 41-40.
 
The game was within reach for CSB early in the fourth, but an offensive drought hit the Blazers, while Pinto and company kept piling on the points. After a three-point play by Pinto, Benilde only managed three more points, while Arellano produced eight to put the game away at 63-50.
 
The Chiefs have had no problem with scoring in their past three games, garnering contributions from swingman James Forrester (15.0 PPG in two games), guard Jalalon (11.5 PPG in two games), and high school prodigy Agovida (11.0 PTS in two games), who once scored 82-points in an NCAA juniors game against Mapua.  

Mark Romero has carried the scoring load thus far for the Blazers, who have been sorely missing the scoring prowess of swingman Carlo Lastimosa, who opted to conclude his collegiate career. The College of Saint Benilde can only hope to draw significant contributions from the likes of swingmen Jonathan Grey and Paolo Taha, and point guard Luis Sinco.
 
The Chiefs managed to get crucial calls by attacking the paint more, finishing with eight makes out of 14. They also intensified their effort in the boards, and were behind only one rebound by the end of regulation, 45-44.
 
Benilde continued their horrible shooting in the second half, ending with only 17 makes out of 61 (28 percent). They missed all 16 of their three-point attempts as well, flubbed crucial free throws, and turned the ball over 20 times, which resulted in 13 turnover points for Arellano.
 
Mark Romero and Fons Saavedra led the Blazers with eight points apiece, as no Benilde player scored in double figures. The whole team managed a total of just 24 markers in the second half. - RAF/AMD, GMA News
 

The scores:

AU – Pinto 17, Agovida 10, Caperal 10, Forrester 9, Hernandez 5, Jalalon 5, Nicholls 3, Enriquez 2, Bangga 2, Salcedo 0, Cadavis 0, Gumaru 0
 
CSB – Romero 8, Saavedra 8, Garcia 7, Bartolo 6, Grey 5, Argamino 5, Ongtengco 4, Jonson 4, Taha 3, Sinco 0, Deles 0, Nayve 0, De Guzman 0
 

Quarter scoring: 13-10, 26-26, 41-40, 63-50