LBC delivers sans suspended coach

LBC Batangas bucked the absence of suspended head coach Nash Racela as it stunned Blu Star Power, 70-62, in their Easter Sunday showdown to boost its bid in the Sunkist PBL Unity Cup at the Pasig Sports Center.

American Alex Compton led the Blades anew with 16 points, including four triples, and six assists although it was the trio of Jason Cuevas, Ronald Capati and Al Magpayo who really made life difficult for the Detergent Kings.

The lanky Cuevas did most of the damage, scoring eight of his 12 points in the final quarter. He also had 11 rebounds while Capati and Magpayo, both playing out of St. Benilde, combined for eight points in the last 12 minutes.

It was the third win against four losses for LBC, which also avenged a painful 70-75 loss to Blu Star last March 30 at the San Juan Gym.

Making the victory sweeter was that the Blades had to do it without Racela, a champion coach in the defunct MBA suspended one game for verbally abusing the referees in his team’s 57-54 win over Welcoat last week.

"We were not actually worried that coach Nash was suspended for this game. We prepared hard for this so there is no problem actually," said assistant coach Eric Gonzales.

In the second game, Jeff Napa hit a crucial three-pointer down the stretch as Viva Mineral Water stretched its win streak to four with a 59-56 victory over Welcoat.

The win pushed the Water Force up to solo third with a 4-3 record behind Hapee (5-1) and John-O (4-2). The Paint Masters dropped to 2-5.

Compton started it all for the Blades when he went on an eight-point blitz and ignited a 19-2 start for his team. The Detergent Kings, however, didn’t give up easily and, with Rey Mendez and Allan Gamboa at the helm, came close to 45-50 entering the final period.

Then came Cuevas, Capati and Magpayo who steadily hit their target to keep Blu Star at bay until the end.

Meanwhile, Carlo Sharma of ICTSI escaped suspension but was given a reprimand for his involvement in a fight against John-O’s Romar Menor last Tuesday. Menor punched Sharma in the face and was suspended one game, along with teammate Al Vergara.

"There is no clear evidence that Sharma provoked Menor so there is no suspension," said commissioner Chino Trinidad.