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Blades look to extend Cup run; face Crazy Ball Hogs

Philippine National Tournament Round 4
Bacoor Blades @ Crazy Ball Hogs
Hogs Stadium
2:14

In an attempt to deepen their run into this year's version of the National Tournament, the Bacoor Blades travel to League IV.8 team Crazy Ball Hogs to determine which team shall advance to the 5th round of the seasonal one-and-done tourney.

Under hostile territory, there should be added pressure on the part of the Bacoor side to perform well amidst a predominantly-opposing crowd. But when asked about the matter, team manager TheDogMan acknowledged the looming possibility.

"Of course it is tougher when on the road." the Blades head honcho said. "We need to win as much as possible. We would surely like to have it at home if we could. But if that's not the case, then a road win is essential."

During the past three rounds, the Blades have only played on the road once: a 121-56 win over League V.47 team jackals 0925. But amidst their success this season, highlighted by their 8-0 run in the league so far this season, the players are confident that they can do more, especially with a longer Cup stint.

"We've always been a decent league team. The challenge for us every season is to have a lengthy Cup run." said
veteran swingman Eladio Martin. "Especially this season, given the fact that our run last season, if you can even call it a run, did not last long."

What the 6'8" Spaniard was eluding to was the first round exit of the Blades in last season's staging of the Cup, where they were upset by WytKnyt Armor to the tune of a 103-82 drubbing.

"Obviously, we've had a better run now than last season. We just have to make it even better." said Iliya Dimov. "We've been doing a pretty good job thus far, both league and cup. So what we need to do now is to keep it up." he further added.

Blades trump two more teams in another dominant league and Cup week

The Bacoor Blades have trumped two more teams as they improved to a 9-0 record for the season as well as dig deeper into the National Tournament.

National Tournament Round 4
Bacoor Blades @ Crazy Ball Hogs
April 4, 2013

It was a low-scoring affair but the defense of the Blades more than made up for the lack of hoisted shots in their 80-46 victory against Crazy Ball Hogs at Hogs Stadium. The win enables the Blades to advance to the fifth round of the Philippine National Tournament for the first time in franchise history. Eladio Martin led the charge with 25 points with Kelly Paul and Iliya Dimov scoring 15 and 12 markers respectively.

League IV.43
Bacoor Blades @ Creators creation
Inalapan

The Bacoor Blades won their ninth game in the league this season with a 118-56 thrashing of Creators creation. It was a merciless attack led by Kelly Paul, who already had 20 points and 12 rebounds at the end of the first half. The co-captains led the team to victory as the 6'9" American ended up with 31 points and 16 rebounds while Point Guard Mark Louis Hugos scored 22 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a runaway game from the get-go.

The Blades will take on archielz as they host them on April 9 followed by their National Tournament firth round game against Boston Saltiks on April 11.

Blades bench make it 10 in a row

League IV.43
archielz @ Bacoor Blades
19:35

Out of the five regular starters for the Blades over the seasons, only co-captain Kelly Paul and Eugenio Genco were in the active roster. But the towering duo only played 20 minutes each, leaving the rest of the damage-dealings to be done by the second unit as they clamped another hapless victim in archielz, 101-44.

The game began with a 31-5 blast from the opening tip until the end of the first canto, baskets by Laurence Lacambra and Regan Elizaga led the surge as the Blades, typical of their performance this season, dominated the game early and never looked back.

The rookie led the way for the home side with 28 points on 53% shooting, with an impressive 6-10 conversions from behind the arc. Eladio Martin took advantage of his start, churning in 18 markers, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots in an all-around effort in just 29 minutes of action, which included a go-ahead three pointer that sealed the final score. Sophomore bigman Chester Maynard had a double-double performance of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Marcos Petry round up the double-digit scorers with 12.

"I believe that in this league, we have the strongest bench. These kids can start for other teams in my opinion." said team manager TheDogMan, who is seen obviously proud of his bench wards. "We have a tough game up ahead so I wanted to give the main guys a rest" he continued, referring to him not playing Pedro Horcasitas, Iliya Dimov and co-captain Mark Louis Hugos.

"That's one great thing about the team this season, I can afford to rest the big guns for certain games and the rest can stil pull through with big wins."

The Blades are to play against Boston Saltiks next game on April 11 in their continuing pursuit of the National Tournament Cup.

Dimov breaks out of slump to lead Blades past Saltiks; advances to Round 6

National Tournament Round 5
Bacoor Blades @ Boston Saltiks
16:01

In their first encounter with a team from a higher division in this Season's Philippines Cup, the Bacoor Blades won convincingly, 99-57 to advance to the 6th round of the one-and-done tourney.

The feat was accomplished in large part due to the re-emergence of Iliya Dimov. The 6-foot Bulgarian finally broke out of his slump since returning from injury a few weeks back by notching 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point line, all within just 20 minutes of floor time.

"It was awesome. To finally get a game like this that I can hang my hat when things go rough again." said the 28-year old hotshot, who has been critical in numerous late-game situations for the Blades over the seasons.

"But I don't want to go back to that stretch. It was tough. I hope this is start of a big turnaround." he further added.

The Blades also saw double-double performances from frontliners Kelly Paul and Eugenio Genco, with the former seconding Dimov in game points with 17 and 11 rebounds and the latter with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Blades players scored in double-digits.

The Blades are to face Blue Jeanz in the 6th round: a former PPL team which will prove as the toughest challenge to date for the Blades.

Co-captains power Blades past Sangi Teeth

League IV.43 Elimination Round
Bacoor Blades @ Sangi Teeth
19:55

With their co-captains leading the way, the Bacoor Blades rout yet another opponent on the road as Sangi Teeth didn't stand a chance against the visiting Bacoor five, 101-39 at the Astro Dome to remain unblemished now that the first round of the eliminations have come to a close.

Kelly Paul and Mark Louis Hugos, who have inherited the captaincy from former Blades great Insa Saady, turned out tremendous performances for the ballclub, with Paul notching a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds and Hugos with 19 points, four rebounds and five assists. Iliya Dimov proved that his shooting touch has returned gunning for 16 points on 50% shooting.

"It's like a blueprint win. The players you'd expect to lead did lead and the players you'd expect to fill their roles filled their roles. It was a great win!" said team manager TheDogMan, who had led the Blades to an 11-0 win-loss record so far this season.

"There have been a lot of great performances from a lot of different players from the team this season. But win like these assure you that things can still be done well under a normal rotation."

"Well I took a back seat the last game. So I wanted to come out strong as early as possible for this game." said Paul about his performance the last game, where he deferred his minutes to Laurence Lacambra.

"Ang balak ko talaga pag naglalaro eh pumasa muna." said Hugos about his approach to the game. "Pero hindi naman ako mahihiyang tumira. Minsan nga lang, napapadalas ang dating ng bola sa akin pagkatapos ng play."

"Kahit ano para sa ikabubuti ng team, masaya na ako."

The Bacoor Blades play white spiders at The Bacoor Forum on the 16th before they take on two big games against BLuE Jeanz in the National Tournament on the 18th and the battle of the top seeds as the Blades finally face Citta Italia Rangers before the All-Star break.

Short-handed Blades clip white spiders

League IV.43 Elimination Round
white spiders @ Bacoor Blades
22:23

Blades team manager TheDogMan decided to give his main guns their needed rest for the upcoming big games. But this did not prevent the rest of the team from trumping yet another foe in white spiders, who were bludgeoned from beginning to end, 94-39 at the Bacoor Forum.

Only seven Blades players saw action in the game, as starters Mark Hugos, Iliya Dimov, Pedro Horcasitas and Kelly Paul were all allowed by the Blades head honcho to rest in preparation for the two big matches that they will have over the weekend: a National Tournament showdown with BLuE Jeanz and the battle for the league's top spot in as they face off with Citta Italia Rangers for their one and only meeting at least in the elimination round.

"I want their legs beneath them. I want them to have no reason not to perform during those games. We hope to continue playing this good music we have together. Everyone is in sync and knows their roles. These next few games shall test our mettle for sure." said the Blades manager.

The Blades were led by Regan Elizaga's 32 markers, followed by Eladio Martin's 23 points and 14 rebounds. Vergel Meneses Nufable nearly notched a triple-double as with his 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

"The team has been used to these types of situations." said Eladio Martin. "It's easy for TDM to be criticized for resting the our starters. But it actually gives us motivation to play harder and contribute to the team's betterment."

"Situation like these help the rookies as well as the younger pups in the squad gain their much-needed confnerence."

Blades score upset with win over BLuE Jeanz to advance in Cup

Philippine National Tournament Round 6
BLuE Jeanz @ Bacoor Blades
19:41

The Bacoor Blades used a third quarter barrage to survive their first major challenge in the National Tournament with a victory over BLuE Jeanz, 79-69 in front of a rowdy and raucous crowd at The Bacoor Forum to advance to the next round of the tournament.

An ugly game from the get-go, it looked like BLuE Jeanz would begin to slowly wrest the game following a 19-11 first quarter in their favor. But the Blades managed to get baskets from their top guys to make the comeback in the second quarter off perimeter baskets from Mark Louis Hugos and Iliya Dimov that led to the Blades being able to manage to even take the lead at the interval, 30-29.

But the third quarter began to tell the story as the game began to open up from beyond the three point line for the Blades. Led by Pedro Horcasitas and Iliya Dimov, who were able to convert from the great beyond as they won the quarter again to make it 56-47 entering the final canto.

The early stages of the fourth saw the Blades pad on the lead to as much as 19 at one point, 70-51. But a comeback attempt was staged by BLuE Jeanz off baskets by Dobrogost Tadeusiak and Enrique Anguiano. But the Blades were able to quell the run before it meant a game turnaround as Horcasitas nailed key baskets down the stretch as well as the solid play of the young backups Laurence Lacambra and Chester Maynard as they held the fort when Paul and Genco were on the bench.

"What can I say. The rest worked." said team manager TheDogMan, talking about the rest he gave four of his starters in preparation for this game. "They wanted a win like this in a long, long time. They couldn't get these types of win that often back in Division III. So for them to be able to manage to beat a team within the country's top 100, not to mention a former PPL team at that. tells the development of the players as a cohesive unit."

Horcasitas topscored for the Bacoor side with 18 points. Dimov, who struggled on the field still managed to put up 15 markers, while the duo of Paul and Genco had double-double performances of 13 and 12 and 13 and 11 respectively. Hugos ended up with 12.

"It was an exhausting game. It takes a toll on you to have games of this magnitude." said the 6'8" Spaniard Horcasitas, who received a standing ovation after the game from the Bacoor faithful "But if you win, all the pain just melts away."

This marks the end of the first half of this big game weekend for the Blades as they face the Big 8 top seed Citta Italia Rangers in their other big game this Saturday in a battle of the undefeated teams in League IV.43.

Blades end a blockbuster week with win over Rangers

Bacoor Blades @ Citta Italia Rangers
Citta Italia Arena
22:45

In what have been called by many as the biggest week of the season so far, the Bacoor Blades pulled through as they notched their 13th win in a row at the expense of Citta Italia Rangers in the battle of the undefeated teams, 99-72.

Both teams entered the encounter holding identical 12-0 marks, although earned in different manners. The Blades won convincingly in all of their games so far in the League this season, while the Rangers have been tested a lot of times this season, winning by closer margins. The Blades were also coming off the heels of an upset victory over BLuE Jeanz in the National Tournament just two days prior.

But as it turned out, the Blades' firepower was just too much for the Rangers as they tried to keep in step, but were just outplayed in almost all fronts highlighted by the Blades' 47% shooting from the field as compared to the Rangers' 33% and their 58-35 rebounding edge.

Eugenio Genco had his better scoring games in a little while as he notched 20 points, while Iliya Dimov and Pedro Horcasitas, both coming off heroic performances in the Cup, both had 14 to their name. Eladio Martin and Regan Elizaga round up the double-digit scorers as they both had 11 points each.

"Tremendous effort from the guys. Genco was our top man here no question." said team manager TheDogMan. "We really don't draw up plays for him, not even for this game. But for some reason, the play usually ends up with him making the basket." the head honcho further added.

"We just came off a big Cup win. I wanted to keep the momentum going so I tried to play a good game as much as possible. Luckily, I did." said the 7-footer Genco, who made key plays in the Blades' Cup win as well.

"This win takes us to the top." said Horcasitas, "This was the game everyone was looking forward to. We both had good players and good team play."

"Baka nga eto ang maging Finals ng season eh." said a delighted Mark Hugos. The co-captain dished out 10 assists to his team for the game. "Ganda ng ikot ng bola ng parehong koponan. Pero siguro mas consistent kami sa execution buong laro."

The Blades will have one more game as they take on Hunger Games Elite Champions on the 23rd in their seventh National Tournament assignment before heading into the All-Star break.

Bacoor Blades well-represented in All-Star festivities

League IV.43 All-Star Weekend
12:52

Five players from the Bacoor Blades roster will participate in this season's League IV.43 All-Star weekend next week at the home court of ESTORYAHEE!, ZANQU.

Sensational rookie Regan Elizaga has been chosen to represent the Bacoor side in the three-point shootout. The 18-year old gunner has led the Blades in three-point field goals attempted and made. Not only that, if given a minimum attempt limit, Elizaga leads the team in 3pt percentage with an even 50%.

For the All-Star Game, four players have been voted in for Bacoor. Kelly Paul and Eladio Martin will be All-Star Game starters while Mark Louis Hugos and Eugenio Genco will fill the role as substitutes. All four players will be participating in an All-Star Game for the very first time.

"They deserve to be there for sure. They worked so hard this season to get their bearings back." said team manager TheDogMan. "They made the team for a reason. And I'm pretty sure that they will be able to show that in the game."

"Wow! To be given the privilege to play in the all-star game is an honor." said Kelly Paul. "I just watch these games growing up and to be a part of it now is just unbelievable."

"Napakasaya ko, hindi lang dahil napili akong maging all-star." said Mark Hugos. "Masaya rin ako dahil yung mga kasama ko sa team, kasali rin. Kumbaga, mashe-share namin yung karanasan at hindi lang iisa ang makakaranas."

Legendary Blades player Saady retires

Three seasons after last donning a Bacoor Blades jersey, legendary baller Insa Saady called it a career after 16 seasons.

The 6'7" French international averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 423 games spanning 8 teams. Dubbed as the Blades' first superstarhis entry to the team prior to the start of Season 18 became the starting point of the team's rise from cellar-dwellers to title contenders in Division IV.6. He also led the Blades during their 22-0 elimination round back in Season 20, his last stint with the team.

"It might sound unfortunate to hear that a player of his caliber had hung up his jersey, but I will not hesitate to tell you that his contributions to the team will never, ever, be forgotten, ever." reaffirmed team manager TheDogMan. Saady appeared in 81 games for the Blades, this includes playoff and National Tournament appearances, where he averaged 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

"We hope to give him the proper retirement ceremony that he deserves. And since the teams that he played the most for during his career have already folded, I believe we are the only ones eligible to retire his name in our Hall of Fame."

Dimov's big night not enough as Blades bow out of Cup

National Tournament Round 7
Bacoor Blades @ Hunger Games Elite Champions
13:34

When it was all said and done, Iliya Dimov scored 34 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc to typify his escape from his long shooting spell.

But as it turns out, the closest thing he got to a help was from Blades co-captain Kelly Paul's double double of 15 points and 14 rebounds as the Blades bowed out of the National Tournament and conceding their very first loss this season in both domestic competitions, 103-85.

Paul fouled out after 37 minutes of play but it was already a game wrapped up from the second quarter onward as the Elite Champions methodically built their lead with their sturdy defensive stance.

"We did not deserve to win this game. We were flat from the beginning 'til the end and it was so evident that they just pounced on us on all fronts." said team manager TheDogMan.

"Simply put, we were hopeless in the game."

"Siguro ang makukuha na lang naming aral dito yung hindi pagiging kampante sa laro." said co-captain Mark Louis Hugos, who only had nine points, but had six rebounds and six assists.

The Blades will return to League action on the 27th vs. Necroumancerz, but not before the All-Star break as the team has 1 representative in the Three Point Shootout and four All-Stars.