Basketball
With La Salle losing Phillips and Baclaan, Jacob Cortez determined to lead by voice and example
After a successful title run with De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament, Jacob Cortez found himself at a crossroads.
Interest from a KBL team eventually came Cortez’s way, leaving him uncertain whether to take his talents overseas and turn professional or use his final year of eligibility with the Green Archers.
However, with no opportunity compelling enough for him to leave La Salle, along with his burning desire to steer the Green Archers to another UAAP championship and play alongside his younger brother Mikey once he recovers from injury, Cortez ultimately decided to stay in Taft.
“No opportunities yet so far. I just want to hopefully play with Mikey, who is recovering from an injury. But then again, no opportunities, no offers yet, or whatever that made me want to leave La Salle,” Cortez told reporters on Sunday evening.
“And I personally do not want to leave La Salle.”
His decision to remain with La Salle comes as a massive relief for the Green Archers, who continue to navigate an offseason marked by significant departures from their Season 88 championship squad.
La Salle is set to begin its title defense without Season 88 Finals MVP and two-time champion Mike Phillips, who has exhausted his playing eligibility, and crafty guard Kean Baclaan, who opted to turn professional with Caloocan in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
(C) Smart Sports
With both Phillips and Baclaan gone, Cortez admitted that a major leadership void needs to be filled.
And after suffering a loss to National University in their opening game of the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, Cortez chose to view the setback as a learning experience for the Green Archers as they adjust to their new reality.
“Yung positive is natalo kami. We needed this loss for the guys to know how to step up. We were talking about how we do not have Mike anymore, and we really need someone to step up. Good thing that we lost, we have a lot to learn from this, especially our new guys,” said the son of La Salle legend Mike Cortez, who finished with 13 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in the loss.
With more than four months remaining before La Salle begins its Season 89 title defense, the 5-foot-11 guard vowed to ramp up his efforts during the Green Archers’ preseason preparations as he works toward becoming a more vocal leader.
That commitment will be crucial in unlocking La Salle’s stacked core, led by Mason Amos, Luis Pablo, Earl Abadam, Jcee Macalalag, Seven Gagate, among others.
“It’s not there yet. I know I am not that vocal, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to lead this team to another championship,” Cortez shared.
“Probably less reliance because lahat ng teams ay gonna scheme against me. We talked about it earlier in the dugout that they think I am the best or most talented player on the court, but I still have to move the ball, so just stuff like that. No relying on me, but more on ball movement for us.”
The post With La Salle losing Phillips and Baclaan, Jacob Cortez determined to lead by voice and example appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
NLEX took the solo lead in Group A following a convincing 110-96 victory over the erstwhile perfect San Miguel to extend its unbeaten run to four in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
In a game where they showed a bit of everything, the Road Warriors went on a tear in the second chapter, inflated the lead to its biggest at 25 in the third, and then displayed solid poise in the defining chapter to put the Beermen away.
Robert Bolick connected on a four, then came Robbie Herndon with a triple not long after as that 7-0 spurt pushed their lead back to 99-84 with 6:23 to go, and that proved to be enough to restore order after their foes cut the gap to eight.
DeQuan Jones took over afterward to lead the strong closeout as they went on to become the lone team without a loss thus far as the Beermen fell to 3-1.
In what’s becoming a trend since Coach Jimmy Alapag arrived, NLEX leaned on another balanced attack that saw a five finish in double figures
Jones himself led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Deschon Winston finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he triggered the 14-0 run in the second chapter for a 44-27 lead that set the tone for the rout.
Tony Semerad had 15 points as his long bombs helped put together the solid finish. Bolick came just short of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists while Herndon added 13 markers to lead the bench mob.
The post NLEX hands San Miguel first loss, claims solo PBA Group A lead appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.
The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.
Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.
Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.
Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.
In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.
With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.
The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
The post Xavier moves one win away from Fil-Chi crown behind Joseph Yeo, Chris Tiu appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.
He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail
De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.
With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.
The post PBA: Ramon Cao powers Macau’s stunning comeback to first win at Titan’s expense appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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