OZAMIZ CITY — Defending champion Ozamiz Cotta and expansion team Pagadian hurdled their respective rivals Friday to join Spring Cooking Oil-Parañaque and Batang Tagaytay in the crossover semifinals of the 2006 Guerrero Brandy-NBC national basketball championship.
Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog’s Cotta Shrine cagers leaned on twin towers Marlon Basco and Billy Bansil to ward off Valencia’s fierce rally in the stretch, 82-73, and earn a date with Tagaytay.
Over at Pagadian City, the Explorers of Mayor Sammy Co posted a convincing 99-85 victory over the Toyota-Iloilo Warriors to arrange a semifinal meeting with top northern division team Spring-Parañaque.
Basco collected 20 points and 13 rebounds while Bansil finished with 17 markers, five rebounds and three steals.
Francis Sanz tried to keep the Warriors in the game, scoring 14 in the first half. But he got into foul trouble and had to sit out most of those second half.
Ex-pro Peter Naron produced a game-high 28 points plus five boards, two assists and two blocks to power the Explorers into the next stage of the tourney sponsored by Panasonic, Sulpicio Lines, Nature’s Spring Mineral Water, Spring Cooking Oil, Regent Foods, Firefly Lightings, Molten and Prime Channel.
Bong Marata and Arian Daja ably backed Naron with 20 and 13 points, respectively. Marata also had eight assists while Daja collared 12 rebounds.
The crossover semis will start on July 6.
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