Plastic Men knock down Sarok Weavers in opener

(Mandaue moves a win away from PSL Visayas crown)

CEBU, Philippines —  The Sherilin-Unisol Mandaue City Plastic Men proved that their 81-80 stunner over the defending champion Consolacion Sarok Weavers in the semifinal round was no fluke.

After just two days, they did it again in exactly the same manner.

Zylle Cabellon scored on a beautiful layup in the final 5.7 seconds to lift Mandaue to a nerve-racking 53-52 triumph over Consolacion in the opener of the best-of-three 2022 Pilipinas Super League (PSL) 21 Under Visayas Finals last night at the Cordova Sports Complex in Cordova, Cebu.

Cabellon finished with 11 points spiked with three rebounds, three assists and three blocks as the Plastic Men moved a win away from clinching the Visayas title.

The Mandaue ballers could practically wrap up the coveted crown if they succeed in dethroning the Sarok Weavers in Game 2 scheduled at 1 p.m. today.

Acer Rom Michael Go also nailed 11 markers on top of six rebounds for the Plastic Men, who gamely recovered from an early 19-29 deficit on the way to accomplish something that no other team has done before, beat the Sarok Weavers twice in a row.    

The Sarok Weavers were actually on the verge of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat after Dave Paulo sank a booming 3-pointer that put them on top again, 52-51, with only 17 ticks remaining.   

But Cabellon courageously took matters into his own hands, barreling his way through three Consolacion defenders before sinking an acrobatic shot that caused the entire Mandaue bench led by their team owner Richie Mercado and coach Gerald Ylaya to leap for joy in the last six seconds.

Consolacion still had one last shot to steal the match but Matthew Flores’ attempt from beyond the arc did not even hit the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

Rovello Robles was the lone double-digit scorer with 11 points laced with four rebounds and one assist for the Sarok Weavers, who are expected to wage an all-out war in Game 2 in an effort to keep their flickering title retention bid alive.