PRE-SEASON
Meteors trounce Landmasters
By Jonas Panerio
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 10:36:00 07/28/2009
Games today:
Cebu Coliseum
5 p.m. – MisOr Meteors vs. Trace-Laguna
7 p.m. – M. Lhuillier-Cebu vs. Mandaue Landmasters
A team with championship experience proved to be too much to handle for a squad that was formed just a day ago.
This was the story yesterday as the reigning champions Misamis Oriental Meteors torched the Mandaue Landmasters, 83-64, in the preseason of the Liga Pilipinas Conference 3 at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Meteors, replete with new and towering players that brought with them ample firepower from the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), continued on their quest to defend their title as they blew out the hastily-formed Landmasters which, according to head coach Jun Tan, was formed just last Sunday.
They leaned on the exploits of new players Melvin Mamaclay and Patrick Cabahug, both of whom were key in their second half breakaway. Mamaclay, a former player of the Sta. Lucia Realtors by way of Adamson University, scored five consecutive points in the third period that helped the Meteors extend their 11-point halftime lead to 16 heading into the final canto, 62-46.
He ended up with 14 points while Cabahug, also of Adamson in his college days and formerly of the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers, added 12 points.
The Landmasters tried to get back into the game in the fourth stanza as they trimmed the lead down to just 10, 54-64.
However, Misamis Oriental responded with aplomb as they unleashed an 11-1 run that blew the winds out of the sails of the Landmasters.