CEBU CITY — Spring Cooking Oil got off to a rousing start in the 2005 Mayor Tomas Osmeña National Invitational Cup basketball tournament Saturday by whipping Pagadian City, 94-87, at the Cebu Coliseum here.
Dondon Villamin and Rodel Manuel led the Cooking Oil Masters of NBC president Nathaniel "Tec" Padilla and Johnny de Jesus to their first win in the four-team tourney by scoring 17 points apiece.
Now handled by Efren "Yong" Garcia, Spring jumped to a 20-16 first quarter lead and never looked back. The Cooking Oil Masters led by 16 going the payoff period, 73-57.
In the other game, M. Lhuillier walloped Montaña of Davao, 86-74.
Spring Cooking Oil, which lost to Cavite in the semifinals of the ongoing National Basketball Conference, and M. Lhuillier are playing at.
The top two teams at the end of the round-robin elimination will clash in a best-of-three series for the title starting tomorrow.
Mar Reyes and Mel Latoreno ably backed Villamin and Manuel with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Spring has added veteran Francis Sanz and former PBA player Chris Cantonjos to its roster.
Spring 94 —
Villamin 17, Manuel 17, Reyes 13, Latoreno 10, F. Sanz 9, Corbin 8, Cantonjos 5, Kalaw 4, Sanz 3, Javier 3, Caceres 3, Yambao 2.
Pagadian 87 — Dayota 26, Isidro 16, Kelo 13, Valconcha 8, Bognot 5, Potot 4, Cortez 3, Polo 3
Quarters: 20-16, 43-33, 73-57, 94-87.
