REED JUNTILLA delivered the goods in a pivotal third quarter as the ARQ Builders-Lapu-Lapu City foiled a resilient Dumaguete Warriors side for a 67-57 victory that gave the Heroes the early lead in the Visayas leg of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup on Tuesday at the Civic Center in Alcantara, Cebu.
Juntilla, 36, displayed basketball smarts to the hilt by scoring eight in a 12-0 run that broke the Warriors’ backs and gave the Heroes a 46-37 cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
“We depend so much on Reed when we need to score,” ARQ Head Coach Francis Auquico said. “I’m glad that he delivered when we needed him.”
Juntilla finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists with Ferdinand Lusdoc topscoring for the Heroes with 14 points on top of three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Jerick Cañada had an all-around game of nine points, eight rebounds and six assists for Lapu-Lapu City, which now leads the division with a 2-0 won-lost record.
Nikki Monteclaro nailed six three-pointers for 20 points for Dumaguete. Mark Doligon added 12 points while Nacpil finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who dropped to 0-2.
Lapu-Lapu goes for a third straight victory when it faces Siquijor at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the same venue. Dumaguete City, meanwhile, hopes to bounce back in its match against Talisay at 8 p.m.
The Warriors threatened at 45-50 after a tough fallaway jumper by Jeric Nacpil, but the Heroes unleashed 11 unanswered points in a two-minute span—six coming from burly forward—Ferdinand Lusdoc for a 61-50 lead.