MANILA – Bacolod City of Smiles suffered its second consecutive defeat in the 2023 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. It fell short to Pasig City MCW Sports, 61-55, on Thursday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Bacolodnons. They were in the thick of fight and were up 51-50 after back-to-back triples by Ryussei Koga and James Mangahas before Pasig went for the kill.
Back-to-back inside hits by Jason Ballesteros and Michael Maestre and two free throws by Ryan Costelo gave Pasig a 56-53 lead before it widened to 61-55 via a triple by Costelo and free throws by Ballesteros.
Castelo finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kenny Rogers Rocacurva added 10 markers as Pasig City recorded its second straight win for a 5-3 record.
Pasig City went on a 10-5 start behind early hits from Costelo and Rocacurva but Bacolod answered with triples from Koga and Mangahas, an inside hit by Coy Alves and another trey from Alfred Sedillo to take a 16-15 lead.
Pasig City opened the second period with consecutive triples and inside conversions as they surged to a 28-20 advantage but Bacolod got a three-point play from Valandre Chauca to cut the deficit to five at the half.
Pasig City went on to build its largest lead at 38-28 on a three-pointer by Robbie Manalang but Bacolod City managed to keep the match close with connections from Chauca and Koga as the deficit was cut to 42-46.
Bacolod City opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play from Alves and back-to-back outside conversions from Koga and Mangahas to taste the lead for the last time at 51-50 before Pasig City turned things around.
Chauca finished with 13 points, including two triples, to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Mangahas added 10 markers as Bacolod City dropped to 3-5.
Bacolod City of Smiles hopes to snap their losing skid when they face powerhouse Zamboanga City Family Brand Sardines at four in the afternoon on May 10 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
BOX SCORE:
PASIG 61 – Costelo 12, Rocacurva 10, Manalang 9, Maestre 8, Chavenia 6, Chan 5, Menina 4, Ballesteros 4, Bolano 3, Baetiong 0, Lorenzo 0, Canon 0.
BACOLOD 55 – Chauca 13, J. Mangahas 10, Alves 9, Koga 8, Sedillo 3, Matillano 3, Montilla 3, Cantimbuhan 2, Alano 2, Sarangay 2, A. Mangahas 0, Stevens 0, Menguez 0, Arboleda 0.
Quarterscores: 15-16, 28-23, 46-42, 61-55./PN
