Hapee, Cafe France seize semis openers

HAPEE came out unstoppable even minus some of its stalwarts.

Art dela Cruz and Ola Adeogun kept Hapee in fighting form as the Fresh Fighters stunned No. 1 Cebuana Lhuillier, 82-71, to move within a win of another championship stint in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at Ynares Sports Arena.

After racing to a 22-11 start, the Fresh Fighters fended off the Gems’ early comeback attempt and staged a dominant second half where they pulled away by as many as 24 points, 80-56, in Game 1 of the best-of-three semifinal series.

Adeogun posted a double-double of 25 points and 14 boards, while Dela Cruz also had a big game of 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for last conference’s champions.

In the other match, Cafe France also blasted Cagayan Valley, 78-65, in their own series opener.

The second-seeded Bakers overpowered the Rising Suns at the paint, 46-24, as Rodrigue Ebondo led with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

“We were able to stop them (Rising Suns) from running,” said Bakers coach Egay Macaraya. “We played good defense.”

The Fresh Fighters played sharp even after standouts Troy Rosario, Baser Amer and Scottie Thompson left to join the national team in the Southeast Asian Games.

Compounding the Gems’ woes was the injury on Fiipino-Tongan center Moala Tautuaa, who sat out almost the entire second half after spraining his ankle due to a collision with Adeogun.

The scores:
First Game
HAPEE 82—Adeogun 25, Dela Cruz 23, Newsome 13, Elorde 6, Mendoza 6, Koga 4, Romero 3, Villahermosa 2, Long 0, Sorela 0.
CEBUANA LHUILLIER 71—Zamar 18, Enciso 14, Tautuaa 11, Corpuz 8, Cabrera 8, Lopez 6, Van Opstal 3, Mangahas A. 2, Bautista 1, Mangahas J. 0, Sarangay 0.
Quarters: 30-19, 5-40, 71-51, 82-71
Second Game
CAFE FRANCE 78—Ebondo 19, Ahanmisi 11, Miranda 9, De Leon 8. Noble 8, Cortez 8, Poligrates 8, Abundo 4, Batino 2, Jeruta 1, Galanza 0, Sedurifa 0, Andrada 0.
CAGAYAN VALLEY 65—Mabulac 15, Melano 14, Galliguez 10, Celada 8, Austria 6, Tayongtong 6, Trollano 3, Flores 2, Dilay 1, Salamat 0, Santos 0, Magat 0.
Quarters: 15-16, 43-33, 60-51, 78-65