All-Stars, Sharks advance;Hardbacks, Knights stay alive

CEBU, Philippines — The Teleperformance All-Stars and the Accenture Sharks barged into the semifinals without any glitch, but the biggest stories of the day were authored by the Optum Knights and the Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI) Hardbacks who downed their top seeded foes in the Tanduay Athletics CSCC E-Leagues for Basketball Season 13 last Saturday at the City Sports Club-Cebu gym.

Gamaliel Bas tallied 15 points, four rebounds and three steals as the All-Stars ousted the Telstra Boomerangs in lopsided fashion, 87-55, while Archie Batua netted a dozen markers as the Sharks  sent out the Wipro Tigers, 77-61, in the tough Elite Classic.

Marcos Jungoy III added 10 points and three steals for the All-Stars, who battered the hapless Boomerangs from start to finish.

After racing to a 30-18 start, the Sharks kept on pounding their foes at will on the way to dish out a 32-point demolition.

Likewise,  the Sharks were also in full control from the get-go. They were never seriously threatened after mounting an early 25-10 lead, which ballooned to 29 points after three quarters, 64-35.

Jetro Gonzaga and James Lester Navaja chipped in 10 points each for the Sharks.

The stunner, however,  came about in the Evo League when the Hardbacks surprised the top-ranked Tech Mahindra Tech Mighties, 68-65, and the Knights upset The Results Spartans, 72-70, to live and fight for another day against their twice-to-beat foes.

Francis Buck Manzanares scattered 19 points, three rebounds and two assists as the Hardbacks became the first wildcard team in E-Leagues history to beat a top qualifier.

Jose Paolo Diputado added 10 points and three rebounds for the Hardbacks, who banked on a solid second-quarter show to take full command of the match at the break, 36-25.

The Hardbacks then parried the Tech Mighties' spirited endgame fight-back to escape with a three-point win.

The Knights followed the same pattern as they also used a blistering 29-18 rally in the second period to bring the tide of the game  in their favor at halftime, 42-34.

The Knights then fought steadier down stretch to pull off a two-point shocker over the heavily favored Spartans. —  EBV (FREEMAN)