MARINERONG Pilipino has toiled long and hard in the past to win a title but always fell short.
Now backed by the core of NCAA contender Mapua University and boosted by an overseas league standout in Juan Gomez de Liaño, the Skippers moved within a win of finally hitting pay dirt yesterday.
With Gomez de Liaño showing the way when it mattered most, Marinerong Pilipino pulled off a thrilling 72-67 victory over feisty EcoOil-La Salle in Game 1 of their best-of-3 finals duel for the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A Juan Gomez de Liaño floater made it a 68-64 game with still 13.9 seconds to go, before Evan Nelle shoved the Green Archers to within 67-68 with a three-pointer.
EcoOil-La Salle still had a lifeline even after Jollo Go canned two free throws that gave the Skippers a 70-67 buffer, but Nelle missed on a corner triple try, only 2.4 ticks left.
Arvin Gamboa calmly sank two pressure-packed freebies that pegged the final count and sealed Marinerong Pilipino’s hard-earned triumph despite squandering an early 12-point lead in the series opener of the race-to-2 battle.
The Skippers seek their maiden title since joining the league in 2017 in Game 2 on Wednesday also at the Big Dome.
A deciding match, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at the same venue.
Rence Nocum shone for Marinerong Pilipino with a game-high 22 points, on top of five rebounds, and three assists, while Go added 15 markers, eight boards, and three dimes.
Gamboa also had 14 and six, while Gomez de Liaño, the favorite for the conference MVP plum, banged in six of his team’s last 10 points in the clutch in an all-around effort that he laced with 14 caroms and seven feeds for the Skippers, who scored a fitting follow-up to their 69-64 victory over Apex Fuel-San Sebastian College five days ago in Game 3 of their semis clash.
The Archers came off a 97-74 thrashing of Adalem Construction-St. Clare also in their knockout semis tiff last Wednesday.
Gomez de Liaño, who spoke in lieu of Marinerong Pilipino coach Yong Garcia anew, said: “I’m really glad we set the tone, got Game 1, I think that’s gonna give us momentum going into Game 2, all in the team mindset I think we prepared so hard for this game.
“We’re just gonna focus on Game 2. We really focused on our defense and all the small details made us close out the game,” he added.
The Skippers raced to a 24-12 start on a Gomez de Liaño foul shot at the 8:17 mark of the second canto before they settled for a 33-23 spread at the half.
Refusing to lie down and die, EcoOil-La Salle battled back and grabbed a 52-51 cushion going into the final stanza.
Schonny Winston carried the for the Archers with 21 points and two rebounds, while CJ Austria contributed 15 markers.
