Cebuana triumphs; Café France second
MANILA, Philippines — Cebuana Lhuillier staved off repeated rallies by Pacific Pipes to eke out a thrilling 77-74 win and rule the Cebuana Lhuillier-Pera Padala Invitational basketball tournament Sunday at the Reyes gym in Mandaluyong.
Cebuana-Lhuillier led as many as 17 points in the third quarter but needed a strong finish to frustrate Pacific Pipes at the end of the short, three-day competition held as part of the teams’ build-up for the coming PBA Developmental League.
Far Eastern University’s Terrence Romeo scattered 15 points, including two pressure-packed free throws in the final 15 seconds, to salvage the win for Cebuana.
The win enabled Cebuana Lhuillier to complete a three-game sweep of the four-team tournament to capture the title and the top prize of P50,000.
Businessman-sportsman Jean Henri Lhuillier of Cebuana Lhuillier awarded the trophy and cash prize to the champion team.
Café France, owned by Johnny Yap and managed by Bernard Yang, subdued PC Gilmore, 74-69, to clinch runner-up honor with a 2-1 win-loss record. It pocketed P30,000.
Pacific Pipes and Pc Gilmore finished third and fourth, respectively.
The Café France-PC Gilmore match was also close.
Mac Montilla and Jeff Viernes sparkled for Cafe France, which outscored PC Gilmore, 25-9, in the fourth period to turn a 49-60 deficit into a nine-point victory. Montilla finished with 22 points, while Veirnes added 20 point for Café France.
Source: http://mb.com.ph/articles/337974/cebuana-triumphs-caf-france-second
