Guarnes Seeks Blow-out in cup debut, Hontoria, Vyroubal bought
Hipolito Guarnes, anlong with the Team Polydozel, played their first ever domestic cup up yesterday at the Regals Isla del Oeste Center. Filled with excitement, anxiety, and pressure, one reporter asked him if what are his thoughts on this coming match, asthis will be part of histroy as far as the Polydozels are concerned.
Guarnes, bluntly, put up the words... "a blow-out."
And a blow-out indeed. As the Polydozels seemingly predicted the end of the game, in the first quarter alone.
The Polydozels ended the first quarter with the lead, 37-17. Herminio Cojuanco was the main scorer in the period, scoring 10 points in 5 of 9 shooting. Guarnes was not far behind, as he was playing at another level, giving up 8 points 2 assists, and 2 steals in that quarter. Guarnes and Cojuanco have everything to be worth looking at, and Regals Isla has no choice, but to accept the fact that this day, they were owned... by Polydozel rookies.
The second quarter was no different from the other, as Regals fans were mind-blown by the presence of first-year Guarnes. who scored a total of 21 points in the first half shooting 10 of 19 and 4 of 6 from the 3-point area. Mark Tacdoro, Polydozel's "Chief Cavalry" and big man, scored 9 points in the second period, en route to 17 points in the first half. As another Polydozel big man, Cybel Sumaylo, left the court early because of an injury
"Cybel's hurt, we need his ability to test a play that we need to perfect for the later stages on the cup, We thought we could never be able to run the play... but we saw it in Mark's game today. his performance told us that 'I can be part of it, too!'." says trainer Cristobal Key.
"Me and Cybel have very different style of play, but it just so happens that we think alike, and maybe that's the reason why also, I can run Cybel's plays, even if I do it my way, and still deliver." And deliver indeed, as Guarnes, Tacdoro, and others played the first three quarters beautifully, already reaching the 100 point mark, their first 100 point game in this season, and in the cup.
Guarnes was puled out early, and Tacdoro was having a hard time because of heavy defense on him in the fourth quarter. The Regals Isla didn't have time to hold back, even if this means, the last grasp of domestic cup atmosphere in the season.
They forgot, Herminio Cojuanco.
Cojuanco played very well in the fourth quarter, scoring his second 10-point quarter resulting in a 20-point performance in the game. easy buckets are made, putbacks, threes, he did it in that quarter. Polydozels have to be happy with the outcome, as they went home with a 47-point lead, 123-76
The Regals Isla coach was baffled by the performance of the rookies. "I didn't know they had that much talent, and to play like that early in the cup, they might be holding it back also. In that case, we were fortunate!" He says jokingly.
"These players are something to be looked at, and to be taken care of. Because there may come a time that the world may be watching, and even though it may seem that it's good for the players to play in a more extravagant league like Europe or in the US, it also gonna mean a bad news for the teams they left behind, and Polydozel's team has a couple or more, players who will be possible that they will be in that position."
Compliment or a curse? As big news spread early in the season that Mike Hontoria accepted a contract offer to play in Italy, and Filipino-Serbian Zbynek Vyroubal accepted a Spain league contract. "A search for greener pastures is never a grudge thing to me." says one Polydozel executive. "I hope they expect that anytime, they are welcome here, and we wish them all good luck in representing our country."