Boracay Rum starts prep for 2nd conference with win over Wangs

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — With its campaign in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup too late to be salvaged, Boracay Rum sees the remainder of the elimination round as preparation for the next conference.

The Waves cashed in on the horrific shooting of the Couriers and cruised to a convincing 90-68 win Thursday at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao.

“Too late the hero,” said head coach Lawrence Chongson. “We don’t have a chance anymore, so we want to make this last few games count for next conference.”

Paolo Taha led Boracay Rum’s onslaught with 20 points, Chris Banchero added 16 points, four assists and two steals while Roider Cabrera had 11, making 3-of-6 triples.

The Waves were never challenged after taking a 19-4 advantage in the first quarter and built a lead as big as 82-52 on a jumper by Jerald Bautista in the fourth.

Boracay Rum, which failed to sustain its run in the league after making the semifinals last year, improved to 6-6 with still a game left on January 27.

“We’re just looking forward. After our last game, we’ll just go on a one-week break and start training again. We’re hoping to carry the momentum,” Chongson also said.

The Couriers, meanwhile, closed out its campaign with a 4-9 record after shooting a woeful 13 percent from the field in the first quarter (2 of 15) and 32.4 percent for the game (24 of 74).

Michael Juico led all scorers with 26 points while Mark Franco had 15 for Wangs. Both were unheard of in the first half when the team needed a spark.

Jonathan Banal pulled down 10 rebounds as Wangs Basketball dominated Boracay Rum off the glass, 42-35, but hardly made any difference.