Niños dump Stallions, secure 1st finals seat in TOP

Former pro Stephen Padilla erupted for 22 points, including five triples, to help M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu beat Treston Laguna, 89-79, and clinch the first finals berth in the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP) at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu CIty. It took the Niños less than four minutes to take control of the game as Padilla fueled a mighty 12-0 run with a booming trey that gave them a 28-17 first-quarter lead. The host squad was never seriously threatened from there as it completed a two-game sweep of the best-of-three semis series. Cebu will face the winner between Misamis Oriental and Hobe Bihon-Taguig City in the finals of the tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas. The best-of-five title series will begin on Sept. 7 in Cebu City. The Niños piled up more points behind their solid transition plays that saw them building a commanding 63-40 lead in the third period. The closest the Stallions could get was at 56-69 before Padilla and Ian Saladaga sparked a 9-0 run to finally settle the issue. Ariel Mepana and Saladaga gave Padilla plenty of support by logging 15 points each. - RCJ, GMANews.TV