Caida nails first PCBL finals berth

CAIDA Tiles put the clamps on Euro-Med’s gunners to hammer out a 75-69 victory Saturday night and seal the first finals berth even as Jumbo Plastic lived to fight another day in the PCBL Founders Cup at JCSGO Gym in Quezon City.

The Tile Masters held Mar Villahermosa and Paul Zamar to a combined two points while unleashing a balanced offensive to sweep the best of three semifinal series.

“I felt relieved knowing that there’s pressure of being No. 1 heading into the semifinals,” said Caida coach Mike Buendia. “At least we survived the semis, but we will prepare hard for the finals.”

The Linoleum Giants staved off elimination after a 72-65 triumph over the Sta. Lucia Realtors in Game 2 of their own semifinal series.

James Martinez caught fire with three treys on his way to a game-high 21 points while Alvin Padilla and Jaymo Euigilos combined for 23 points for the Giants who held Realtors star Mac Montilla to just six points.

The Giants actually seized control by holding the Realtors to just six points in the second period.

Flaunting their depth, the Tile Masters got six points or more from seven players led by former Letran standout Ford Ruaya and Arellano playmaker Jiovani Jalalon.

Ruaya pumped in 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while   Jalalon chipped in 12 points and four assists in a fitting follow up to his solid performance in Game 1.

Caida put emphasis on shutting down Villahermosa and Zamar.

Villahermosa missed all of his six attempts while Zamar was held scoreless in 17 minutes of action.

The Tile Masters erected their biggest lead at 40-25 after holding Euro-Med to just three points in the second period. Cedelf P. Tupas