Road Warriors drive away with third PBA D-League title

The NLEX Road Warriors took home their third PBA D-League title, sweeping the Big Chill Superchargers in Game 2 of the Foundation Cup, 82-62, Thursday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Point guard Emman Monfort hit two-of-four triples to lead five Road Warriors in double digits, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Ian Sangalang scored 11 points for NLEX, while Kirk Long, Garvo Lanete and Calvin Abueva had 10 markers apiece. The victory is also the team's 13th straight win after blasting their way through the eliminations, a semifinal victory over Blackwater Sports, and two games against Big Chill. NLEX head coach Boyet Sison commended his players, saying they sacrificed a lot for this team. "They're stars in themselves," said Sison of his star-studded line-up featuring marquee players from the UAAP and NCAA. "But they give way to their teammates and to our system." Indeed, the Road Warriors played unselfishly, tallying 17 assists against nine dimes from Big Chill. Best Player of the Conference Cliff Hodge scored five in the Road Warriors' opening salvo, nailing a triple to give his team an early 8-2 lead. But over the next two minutes the Superchargers found their range. Raffy Reyes and Keith Jensen combined for eight unanswered points, the latter feeding Reyes twice for baskets from downtown to take an 11-8 lead. Garvo Lanete hit a three after a pair of charities from Hodge, but Big Chill replied with five of their own, retaking the lead on a basket by Jewel Ponferrada.   As the quarter wound down, Ian Sangalang proved to be the sole bright spot for the NLEX offense, scoring their last six points to trim the deficit to a deuce, 20-18, after the first period. Dave Marcelo made an and-one play to put NLEX on top at the beginning of the second quarter, but both teams then went cold over the next five minutes, though the Super Chargers still came out 6-2 during the brutal stretch, as a jumper from Elliot Tan made it 26-23. The Road Warriors found their groove as guard RR Garcia nailed a triple from the right corner to end the drought for NLEX, as they went on a 13-4 tear to end the half. Jake Pascual and Garcia alternated in scoring for NLEX, combining for nine points in the stretch. A lay-up by Sangalang in transition was waived off by the officials, but the Road Warriors still possessed a 36-30 advantage entering the break. When play resumed, a block by Hodge on the perimeter led to a fast break lay-up by Lanete on the other end. Mac Montilla scored on a putback play, but Monfort buried consecutive jumpers on the other end. Monfort's trey punctuated a 7-2 run that forced Big Chill head coach Robert Sison to call a timeout as NLEX threatened to pull away, 43-32. Big Chill trimmed the deficit to single digits, 45-36, on a basket by Jensen and charities by Mac Montilla with under five minutes left in the third, but the Baste duo of Sangalang and Calvin Abueva tallied five points in a 7-2 run for the Road Warriors, though the latter was slapped a technical foul a few possessions later. Jensen hit the bonus free throw to begin six straight points for Big Chill, but Kirk Long cut the run short with a minute left in the frame, getting the hoop and the harm in the lane to preserve a 55-45 lead for the Road Warriors heading into the fourth. NLEX finally broke the game wide open in the fourth, as Hodge completed a put-back play to start the quarter. Woody Co and Monfort hit a trey apiece followed by a breakaway layup from long to drop a 10-3 bomb on the Super Chargers. Montilla completed an and-one play on a four-on-two break for Big Chill, but it was their lone field goal in the first seven minutes in the fourth. Jensen, Mallari and Reyes rifled three triples as time wound down, but they never seriously dented the lead as NLEX hit a couple more three’s of their own and paraded players to the line until time expired. Coach Sison also said that entering the season, he did not expect their 13-game win streak. "The other teams also have strong lineups, but we made the right moves and invested the right players." He credited stoppers like Long for leading NLEX to becoming the league's best defensive team, an improvement from a fourth place rating in the previous conference. Raffy Reyes led the Super Chargers with 19 points. Fil-Am Keith Jensen added 15 markers and nine rebounds, while guard Mac Montilla made six of nine free throws en route to a 10 point outing. Individual accolades were also awarded prior to the start of the game by league commissioner Chito Salud. Hodge not only was named Best Player, but also was named to the Mythical Five. Joining him were his teammate Garcia, Lester Alvarez and Vic Manuel from the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, and Mallari from the Super Chargers. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NLEX 82: Monfort 13, Sangalang 11, Long 10, Lanete 10, Abueva 10, Hodge 8, Garcia 7, Pascual 6, Co 4, Marcelo 3, Hermida 0, Suguitan 0, Ellis 0, Dehesa 0 Big Chill 62: Reyes 19, Jensen 15, Montilla 10, Mallari 6, Ponferada 4, Viernes 2, Collado, Vilahermosa 2, Tan 2, Cortes 0 Quarter scores: 18-20, 36-30, 55-45, 82-62