Rumaillah Group win in McDonald’s Cup

DOHA: Defending champion Rumaillah Group survived another game to stay in contention going into the semi-final rounds after handily beating Power Horse Energy Drink, 77-69,  the quarter-finals of 6th McDonald’s Basketball Cup of Pinoy Basketball of Qatar at the Al Gharafa Multi-Purpose Gym over the weekend.

But fate was not so kind for last season’s finalist Western Union Mindoro Tamaraws which bowed out to SBQ-Best Restaurant, 102-87, in the second game that ended their rally for another crack of the crown this year.

SBQ’s win has given them the third slot for the semi-final rounds. The game between Rumaillah and Power Horse was tight right from the very start that halftime score was low, 36-33, with Rumaillah taking the lead.

Power Horse tried to gain a momentum in the third quarter inspired by the all-around play and difficult basket conversions by point guard Elmer Santander who was instrumental for their taste of first lead, 44-43, with five minutes left in the quarter.

Power Horse reliables including the sweet shooting Santander however falter in their charity shots that served a severe blow to their campaign to regain the edge in preparing for the last crack in the deciding fourth quarter.

Rumaillah took advantage of their opponent’s handicap to start widening the lead early in the last quarter and never looked back. And everytime Power Horse tried to make a comeback, Rumaillah’s triggermen led by Conrado Banaun has almostalways returned the favour even in the rainbow territory.

A rubber match between the two teams will be set on Friday and the winner will take the fourth slot going into the semifinal round.

In the second game, title-hungry SBQ applied too much pressure on the losing Western Union in the final quarter by controlling the 12-point lead until the end of the game Western Union’s power forward John Arce tried to lift his team to a comeback by converting four out of six three-point baskets but this was not good enough even to close the gap in the crucial dying minutes of the game.

In the end SBQ-Best Restaurant proved to be tough customers keeping the willy Western Union-Mindoro Tamaraws at bay to script a 102-87 victory.

THE PENINSULA




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