Rising Suns boost ‘outright’ hopes

Cebuano guard Eliud Poligrates found his groove in the second half as Cagayan Valley dumped Fruitas, 107-75, to strengthen its chances for the last semifinal bonus in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup yesterday at Jose Rizal University gym.

Poligrates fueled the Rising Suns’ relentless assault in the second half—where they mostly led by more than 30 points—before finishing with a game-high 27 points.

“He had roller-coaster games, but as soon as he gets his confidence, he’s hard to stop,” Cagayan coach Alvin Pua said of Poligrates, a former Southwestern University standout.

The lopsided victory pushed the Rising Suns up to 6-3 to gain a shot at dislodging Blackwater Sports (6-2) at the No. 2 spot, which comes with an outright semifinal slot.

In the second game, Dexter Maiquez and Philip Paniamogan paced a balanced charge as Jose Rizal University downed Erase Xfoliant, 74-61, to stay in the running for a quarterfinal incentive.

Maiquez had 14 points, while Paniamogan shot all but two of his 13 points in the second half for the Bombers.

“This is a big win for us,” coach Vergel Meneses said of his Bombers, whose 5-4 record kept them in contention for the twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.

Fruitas dropped to 4-5, while the eliminated Erase Xfoliant fell to 2-7.

The scores:

First Game

CAGAYAN 107—Poligrates 27, Exciminiano 23, Forrester 12, Celada 12, Almazan 8, Lao 6, Cruz 5, Bringas 5, Webb 4, Canta 3, Gusi 2, Villanil 0, Dela Cruz 0.

FRUITAS 75—Lastimosa 14, Silungan 11, Dela Rosa 10, Escobal 7, Belleza 7, Caram 5, Terso 5, Mendoza 4, Pascual 4, Colina 4, Koga 2, Escueta 2.

Quarters: 17-13, 45-30, 80-48, 107-75

Second Game

JRU-AIR21 74—Maiquez 14, Paniamogan 13, Apinan 10, Pinto 9, Villarias 8, Mabulac 7, Almario 4, Miranda 4, Del Rio 3, Caperal 2, Dela Paz 0, Ighalo 0.

ERASE XFOLIANT 61—Racal 20, Vidal 13, Belorio 10, Allen 7, Najorda 6, Babayemi 2, Stevens 2, Matute 1, Gomez 0, Acidre 0.

Quarters: 21-18, 37-31, 63-52, 74-61