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Blades come from behind in dogfight win vs. Team Dugong Bughaw

League III.13 Elimination Round
Team Dugong Bughaw @ Bacoor Blades
21:

After two convincing victories, the Bacoor Blades were tested by Team Dugong Bughaw at The Bacoor Forum. But a second half fightback turned a 12-point deficit at the half into a six-point win, 61-55, to enable them to keep in step with the conference leaders.

Showing more enthusiasm and aggressiveness in the first quarter, the visitors stormed into an early lead, 17-10. They followed it up with a more spirited second quarter where they got their offensive game going, further padding on to the lead as it stood at 40-28 by the interval.

Visibly frustrated by the pesky defense of Team Dugong Bughaw, Kelly Paul and Gabor Martinovics began on a mission to put the Blades back in the game. Their scoring binge along with the tight defense by the rest of the squad, shackled the visiting team's output to just seven points in the third period, though the Blades were still down entering the fourth, 47-44.

But the Blades seemed to have gotten a hold of the way Team Dugong Bughaw worked on the offensive end, limiting them again to just single digits in scoring for the final period.

"If there's one thing that I'm sure of after watching our performance in this game, is that I've seen our squad have better days on offense." said team manager TheDogMan. "They were able to clip our top guns in the first half but they broke loose in the second half and never looked back.

Gabor Martinovics shook off a shaky first half to finish with 20 points while Kelly Paul dominated with 18 points, 25 rebounds and four blocks in the game. They were the only two players from the Cavite-based franchise to score in double figures as the next highest contribution was newly-acquired Enrique Verastegui's eight markers.

"It was really just a bad scoring day. It nearly cost us the game and this run we're having at the end of the first round." said a relieved Kelly Paul. "Good thing we were able to salvage the victory and keep it going.".

The Blades remain in fifth place with a 4-5 record. They will face Pilipinas Katipuneros next as they continue their inter-conference foray into the second round of the eliminations.

Blades land Italian center in major deal

Bacoor Blades Player Movements
Transfer Market
17:22

In a stunning move by the Bacoor Blades management, the Cavite-based franchise land Italian center Marco Montixi from Polish squad Ks. Modlimowo for a fee of $200,000.

"We are pleased to announce the arrival of Marco Montixi to the Bacoor Blades." declared team manager TheDogMan. "We are confident in his abilities on the court and that he will be able to help this team moving forward."

For his career, the 6'11" beanpole averages nearly 14 points and 11 rebounds, shooting almost 56% from the field. A former League champion, Montixi has been a veteran of many playoff wars throughout his stints in three teams throughout his career.

"I would like to thank everyone in the Bacoor Blades organization for this wonderful opportunity to play for their club." said a grateful Montixi.

The move also meant that the newly-acquired Enrique Verastegui had to be immediately released from the club in order to make a trim in the lineup payroll. "It was a circumstance that we did not want to face. But we had no choice as the lineup is fashioned differently for the season." cleared TheDogMan.

The new addition to the squad means that the frontline is at least shored up again after Antoine Fauvel and Kwok Tuan An were put on transfers early in the season. Montixi shall suit up for Bacoor beginning with their clash with Pilipinas Katipuneros this Tuesday.

Surprised Verastegui disappointed with quick boot from lineup

The Holster Headquarters
Bacoor Blades
1:17

Just merely a few days after being acquired by the Bacoor Blades for a fee of $74,000, Spanish international Enrique Verastegui was given the boot from the club moments after management acquired Italian center Marco Montixi in a move that was described as a "circumstance that we did not want to face".

"It caught me by surprise. I thought that the deal was going to last for a few seasons at least." said by the now-former Bacoor Blade.

In his two appearances for the Cavite-based franchise, Verastegui scored an average of 8.5 points, 18.5 rebounds 4.5 assists 4 blocks and 3.5 steals. He aided the Blades to a Cup win against Sta. Maria Ground and in their recent League win against Team Dugong Bughaw.

"I was expecting to be able to gel with the team a little more. We won two games but it was obviously not enough to gauge our level of chemistry with each other." said the 35-year old.

"It was truly unexpected and I'm very saddened and disappointed with the development but I still wish the Bacoor Blades all the best in their campaign this season." said the calm beanpole, who showed professionalism amidst the storm in his career.

With the recent development, Verastegui's career is in limbo as he is back in the transfer market waiting for a bidder to save his status or he will retire after the mandatory 3-day transfer period. This was an alternative introduced seasons ago for players that have been released by their teams to give them an opportunity to still play even after their terminations.

"Well, the next three days shall be tough. I hope there would be teams that are still willing to use my services. I know that I can still give a team something useful to their campaign, but if it's not there, i'll just hang my jersey." concluded Verastegui.

In a statement by the Bacoor Blades, team manager TheDogMan commended Verastegui for his brief spell with their club and thanked him for his enthusiasm to join the team. "We thank Mr. Verastegui for his commitment to the club and his enthusiasm to help the club immediately to regain its lost poise." said the Blades' gaffer.

"We are expressing our deepest apologies to Mr. Verastegui and his agent for being put in this situation but, as mentioned before, as much as we wanted to avoid the circumstance, when it does come, we did know what our option would be."

As it stands, the 7'1" behemoth's career as a basketball player is on borrowed time until a team is willing to make a bid on him to prolong his career.

Blades decimate Pilipinas Katipuneros to even record

League III.13 Elimination Round
Bacoor Blades @ Pilipinas Katipuneros
00:48

Putting their foot down, the Bacoor Blades showed no mercy in defeating their hosts Pilipinas Katipuneros, 73-34.

The Cavite five were already on the throats of their adversaries by limiting their first quarter production to just nine points, while scoring 18 of their own. But the second and third quarters provided the main story of the game as Bacoor, going on a 46-21 blast during the middle periods in a slowed down, deliberate manner before the fourth quarter became extended garbage time, with both teams combining for just 13 points.

The Blades totally outclassed their opposition, limiting the Katipuneros to just 20% shooting and dominating the boards, 70-39.

"We needed a win like this. This shows our versatility on offense, that we can rely on a deliberate, slow-paced game to win and not just out-running our opponents." said team manager TheDogMan. "We have the ability to do that because of our rediscovered post game." the Blades' gaffer added.

It was a remarkable debut for center Marcos Montixi, who had 14 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 64% from the field. But the player of game was still Gabor Martinovics, who had a stat sheet-filling performance of 34 points, seven assists, seven steals, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

"I thought I was going to have a bad debut since I was turning the ball over a lot. But thank goodness I was able to churn out a decent performance in my first game here." said an elated Montixi.

"We obviously need to get him to play more game with us to continue building our chemistry." said Martinovics. "This is an opportune time since Eugenio (Genco) is also back and we could make the lineup full again." he added, mentioning the returning Eugenio Genco, who missed the last two weeks due to an injury.

The long-timg Blades beanpole scored four points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 18 minutes of action for his first game back.

"To be back out there again, it's nice." said the Italian center.

When asked about the arrival of Montixi, a fellow Italian, Genco was quick to show his excitement to have another fellow countryman to the Blades fold. "We've had Marino Crocetti before. It's always nice to have teammates from the same country since there is a certain level of understanding between the two of you that can translate to on-court effectiveness." Genco explained.

The win pegs them at 5-5, still at the 5th spot with a game remaining to end the first round of eliminations. The Blades will face Buffalo Soldiers in their fifth National Tournament assignment, to take place at The Bacoor Forum.

Balanced attack in effect as Blades win fifth Cup game

Philippine National Tournament Round 5
Buffalo Soldiers @ Bacoor Blades
20:01

Bacoor Blades team manager TheDogMan's gamble to include his top guns in the Cup lineup paid off as they did not have to play heavy minutes in their dominance over Buffalo Soldiers, 106-54, at The Bacoor Forum.

It was a field day as all eight members of the Blades lineup scored at least nine points, led by Eugenio Genco's 23 points and 19 rebounds in a bounce-back game for the Italian center after coming off an injury that sidelined him for two weeks. Gabor Martinovics and rookie Vladislav Zayka both scored 16 points while Nicolas Chan added 13 markers.

Storming early from the gates, the Blades posted a 32-13 lead at the end of the first. Then the hosts limited their visitors to a game-low 10 second quarter points en route to a 55-23 lead at the half.

Their opponents no longer showed signs of fight as early as the first moments of the third quarter. This coincided with the Blades slowing their offense down yet maintaining a steady pace to prevent a comeback from the Soldiers. The lead grew gradually and dismantled the morale of Buffalo altogether.

"This was a great win. We move on in the Cup and our game is starting to pick up." said team manager TheDogMan, off of the heels of their League win against Pilipinas Katipuneros that evened their standing at 5-5.

"It was also great to see Eugenio back in form. We will need him for our push later this season." the Blades' head added.

"Getting a game like this feels good." said Genco. "Coming off an injury, I was frustrated that I can't play and contribute to the team's cause. So to have this type of game is huge for me." Genco added.

The win represents their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions. They move on to the sixth round of the Cup where competition is expected to get tougher. "We'll see how the next few days pan out. We'll take on the challenge and try to win as much games as possible." said Gabor Martinovics.

New-look frontcourt in full effect as Blades destroy Crossbones

League III.13 Elimination Round
Crossbones @ Bacoor Blades
22:08

With a second quarter defensive effort, the Bacoor Blades defined a game, dominating Crossbones to the tune of 102-50 at The Bacoor Forum.

The win makes it five straight League wins and keeps them in the hunt for a playoff spot. And with the loss of NuRSing_AvENgeRS, the gap between the two teams has been narrowed down to just a single game.

After a close first quarter, the Cavite-based franchise limited their visitors to just five points in the second, furthering their lead to 41-18 by the end of the first half. Continuous inside incursions by Marco Montixi, Kelly Paul and Eugenio Genco provided the punch that padded the lead even further as the game looked out of reach at the onset of the second half.

The frontcourt trio combined for 66 points and 66 rebounds as all three players notched 20-20 performances for the squad in the convincing victory. The dominant win by Bacoor came despite a meager performance from Gabor Martinovics, who only had seven points.

"This lineup is a potent, no doubt." said team manager TheDogMan. "We made efforts to try and mitigate the loss of talent from transfers, and here we are."

When asked about this being his perfect lineup, TheDogMan was quick to dispel it.

"There is no perfect lineup. Teams will always have to sacrifice something for the sake of the other. We have ours too, but instead it's an investment for the future."

"We hope that this keeps up. The desire of this team to compete is still there despite the changes made. And we're starting to believe again." said Kelly Paul.

The Blades are now 6-5 for the season, the first time they went over .500 in the campaign. And though things are looking up, the challenges ahead are to get tougher. They face Great 8 second-seed Selrahc before turning their attention to Division II team Spiders Embrace in their Round 6 National Tournament assignment.

The Holster Feature: The Marco Montixi Effect

The Holster Headquarters
Bacoor Blades
14:41

It was a controversial acquisition, not necessarily with the player involved nor the way he was acquired, which was amicable. But rather with the sequence of events that was triggered by his arrival to the Blades camp.

32-year old Marco Montixi came to the Bacoor Blades, sending shockwaves throughout the organization, the team and the community. The team that was supposed to be on a rebuilding phase took a quick reboot and made a bid for the 6'11" Italian.

"I remember getting the call from my agent. I was at home with my family when he told me I was going to the Philippines." recalled Montixi.
After the initial announcement, Montixi was immediately patched to team manager TheDogMan for a short briefing. He was later issued a ticket for a flight to the Philippines and was guided all the way by the Blades' head either by phone or through the internet.

"He really did everything to create a welcoming atmosphere. And when I arrived, it was even better because the team's fans were quick to note that I was there already." recalled Montixi.

The acquisition was big for the organization, who nearly waved the white flag in terms of acquiring a bigtime center that could pillar the roster for the near future. They already had a training program in place which sacrificed their backcourt rotation to rookies as well as their once-vaunted frontcourt being put on the wire.

"I was told of everything that happened here over the last few weeks." admitted Montixi. "But as drastic as these changes were, I guess the good thing is that they actually did it within one season." Montixi added. "Had they gone through with a longer process, the community might have grown impatient given the recent success of the team."

The controversy went fever pitch when Enrique Verastegui, who was acquired by the Blades just mere days before Montixi, was axed by the team to accommodate his arrival. Montixi offered his comments about the matter.

"I've never met him personally, but as a fellow professional baller, it's gotta be tough to go through that and put your career in limbo." Montixi said.

"I wish we could have been put together as a frontcourt duo. We could have made a good combination but I guess the team had other plans about that." he said, as management currently has him paired with longtime Blades forward Kelly Paul. "You just don't want your fellow players to suffer things like that. But those are things that are out of our hands sometimes."

Since his arrival, the Blades have had some stability on their bigman rotation, which had to compensate with Gabor Martinovics at power forward and Kelly Paul at center with Eugenio Genco still down with an injury. "I was told about how they had to deal with makeshift lineups for game this season. I am glad to be of help at that department for a start."

But the Italian was quick to state that his purpose is not just to be another set of legs or six personal fouls that the Cavite-based franchise can expend.

"I want to be a contributor inside. I know it will not be as quick as I would want it to be, but I am hoping it will be one day."

Despite the hesitation to admit it, the impact of Montixi is quickly felt. In the two games that he played in the League so far, he has averaged 20 points and 18 rebounds, while also blocking 2.5 shots a game.

With his production inside, the Blades have found a saving grace to their campaign. While being able to get by with their team in their early win streak, the addition of Montixi was a proof that the Blades were not to lay down and die for the season. They shall attempt to climb back to playoff contention with the continuation of the League as they begin the second round of eliminations.