FilOil: Scorpions keep perfect slate, dominate winless Wildcats

The winning streak continued for the Centro Escolar University Scorpions as they routed the Holy Trinity College Wildcats, 74-61, on Friday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

 

Rodrigue Ebondo tallied tournament highs of 21 points and 19 rebounds while recording five blocks. Joseph Sedurifa torched the Wildcats' defense for 17 points and Alfred Batino chimed in with 16 points and six rebounds. The Scorpions lorded over the rebounding department, grabbing 62 compared to HTC's 30.

 

The Scorpions maintain their status as kings of Group C with a 4-0 slate. The Wildcats likewise maintained their cellar-dweller status, dropping to 0-5, the only team in Group C without a win. They can only hope for a moral victory tomorrow, as they welcome media star Gerald Anderson to the fold, the latter having been enrolled in their home school program.

The Scorpions started the game on fire as they lit up from range, while the Wildcats hung around due to Chris Masaglang's crafty scoring antics. CEU dumped nine points on HTC after another triple from Carlo Casiño, 18-9. The Wildcats closed the first quarter with a 6-2 run, trailing only by five 20-15 behind the Group C stalwarts.

 

The Wildcats managed to snare the lead after an and-one basket, 26-25, a lead they held for five seconds as Batino and Ebondo combined for 18 points in the quarter, giving CEU a buffer of as much as 11 points. The Wildcats' offense struggled as CEU defenders doubled up on every possession, forcing bad shots and turnovers from HTC. Masaglang brought HTC's offense back to life but a triple by Sedurifa kept the Scorpions at a safe distance, as they led 48-36 heading into the second half.

 

Batino topped the scoring chart at the half with 14 points while Ebondo logged 13 points and nine rebounds. The Scorpions heavily outrebounded their foes 30-15 and added 12 points from the stripe.

 

Masaglang kept his team afloat with 14 points while Edson Batiller added nine. They were decent from inside the arc at 50 percent but struggled from downtown, making one of nine attempts.

 

HTC's big men were in foul trouble, causing them to use shorter, stockier alternatives in Macmac Polistico and Arthur Desaville for long stretches in the third canto. Coach Macaraya had the luxury of experimenting with his lineups as his team never led by less than ten. Despite the Wildcats shuffling, jerky-jerky defense, the team managed to keep a 58-48 spread after three quarters.

 

The rout was on in the fourth quarter as the Scorpions scored six straight out of the brief respite, leading 65-48. Four straight points from Batiller prompted Coach Macaraya to insert his starters. HTC managed to keep the Scorpions' defense honest and managed to cut the lead to ten points, but the lead never dipped into single-digit territory. Despite the cheers and jeers within the HTC bench, the team went home with a 0-5 card, 64-61.

 

Batiller scored 15 points in a losing effort, while Masaglang added 14. Landicho chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.

 

The Wildcats (0-5) play the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow at 12:30pm against the UP Fighting Maroons (1-2), a game where Anderson will be suiting up for the GenSan team. The Scorpions (4-0) tangle with the NU Bulldogs (1-0) next Wednesday at 12:30pm.

The scores:

CEU 74 - Evondo 21, Sedurifa 17, Batino 16, Jeruta 8, Abundo 4, Mutonbo 4, Amil 4, Opiso 0, Casiño 0, De Leon 0, Anunciacion 0, Banua 0, Tuazon 0, Vargas 0
 

HTC 61 - Batiller 15, Masaglang 14, Landicho 11, Yusop 9, Polistico 6,, Roxas 2, Pragados 2, Pepito 2, Mahaling 0, Etoundi 0, Desaville 0, Lape 0

Quarter scoring: 20-15, 48-36, 58-48, 74-61