Basilan demolishes Clarin in VisMin heavyweight clash

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Jumbo Plastic-Basilan Peace Riders asserted their mastery over the stacked Clarin squad, 86-68, in the duel of the undefeated during the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup.

Determined to keep their record untainted in the league, Basilan put up one of their most efficient performances after scoring their first points through crisp assists.

Philip Manalang and Jonathan Uyloan dictated the tempo for the Peace Riders as the savvy point guards ran their sets to perfection with patience and discipline.

Hesed Gabo then started to heat up quickly for Basilan as the gunner knocked down his early perimeter shots after finding himself wide-open on several instances.

Clarin attempted to mount a comeback led by John Wilson who started to scoring in bunches, cutting their 18-point deficit to just seven, 55-62, in the third frame.

However, Basilan’s main gunners went to work again and orchestrated another offensive run courtesy of an aggressive Chris Bitoon.

“The boys stepped up. Talagang lahat nag contribute offensively and defensively. Lahat ng minutes nila, vital and lahat nakapagcontribute,” said Basilan head coach Jerson Cabiltes.

Jay Collado shone the most in the Basilan side as the big man tallied 15 points and five rebounds while Gabo had 12 points and 11 assists.

With the win, Basilan is currently holding a 7-0 record with a solo lead spot, followed by Clarin who tasted their first defeat, 7-1.