General Santos’ star forward Robby Celiz. MPBL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Robby Celiz sustained his fiery form to propel General Santos City past Iloilo, 69-64, Saturday night in the MPBL Lakan Season at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Celiz, a vital cog for Alab Pilipinas in its 2018 title run in the Asean Basketball League, fired 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Warriors who picked up their third straight win for a 5-2 card in the South division.
It was another strong performance from Celiz who exploded for 26 points in a gutsy road win against Valenzuela last Monday.
Interestingly, Gensan’s winning streak started when Rich Alvarez took over as head coach, replacing Noy Pido who slid to the deputy role.
Still tied up with Mighty Sports in the ongoing William Jones Cup in Taiwan, Gensan leading scorer Michael Williams missed a second straight game, but it hardly mattered as Celiz took charge when the Warriors needed it most.
Holdovers from last season’s team that reached the South quarterfinals, John Orbeta and Meylan Landicho contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively for the Warriors.
With Rich Escoto held to just four points on 1-of-9 shooting, the Royals fell to their second straight loss and dropped to 3-3.