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Blades crush BAREFOOT in season opener

BAREFOOT @ Bacoor Blades
The Bacoor Forum
21:08

Calling this game a statement game might be an understatement.

A stunning 31-11 first quarter storm by the Bacoor Blades saw them take control of the game the rest of the way as the fend off inter-conference rivals, BAREFOOT at The Bacoor Forum, 111-70

Eugenio Genco nailed his first eight shot attempts, en route to his 21 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Sophomore Chester Maynard had 14 points and 9 rebounds while co-captain Mark Hugos added 13 as the Blades saw six of their players score in double digits.

"The Blades' Princeton is back." said team manager TheDogMan. "It looked as if they were going to be disoriented after deferring too much off of each other. But they pulled it off and it was beautiful." He further added.

"We were so excited to play under that scheme again." Said Kelly Paul, who had 8 points and 14 rebounds for the night. "So excited in fact, that we had jitters to begin the game. We botched a one too many plays but funny enough the shots still went in." the co-captain exclaimed.

"Gusto naming manalo ulit. Masaya ang pakiramdam ng panalo eh." said Hugos. "Pero yung ganitong panalo, yung nagbibigayan ng bola, yung nagtutulungan sa depensa, mas masaya ang panalo kapag ganun."

What Hugos was alluding to was their stifling defense throughout the first three quarters of the game, specifically in the first and third quarters, where they allowed only 20 points in total.

The visiting side were led by Gererdo Maravilla's 21 points, followed by Franklin Munoz and Lucio Rosello with 13 and 11 markers respectively.

Their schedule will see the Blades on the road for their next league assignment against Black Berries this March 12 before they open their National Tournament campaign against Mabical on the 14th.

Blades on the road to take on Black Berries

Bacoor Blades @ Black Berries
BERRIES
17:09

For their second assignment, the Bacoor Blades are to head to BERRIES to take on Black Berries later today.

The Blades are coming off a 111-70 drubbing of inter-conference rivals BAREFOOT in their season opener last March 9. And with their recent showing, team manager TheDogMan expects that the Blades continue their impressive performance.

"Let's see if we can keep this type of game up over the long haul. The offense seemed to click the last time." the fiery manager asserted.

When asked about the possibility of the rookies Regan Elizaga and Vergel Meneses Nufable seeing more playing time, the Bacoor head tactician had answered in the affirmative.

"Of course. I do not intend to let them rot in the bench. I want to give every member of this team the confidence to know that they will play and that each and every one of them will have a chance at contributing to the team's cause."

He also added that the intention the last game was to let the holdovers from last season get a chance to release their frustrations from last season's results and get back on the right track.

"I wanted it to be a statement game. That we want to contend as early as now, as well as providing the guys ventilation for their steams brought about by last season's performance. It worked wonderfully."

The home side are coming off a loss in their season opener against DLSU Archers, 114-100. Top scoring for them was kokoy Canaleta who had 31 markers.

Rookies dazzle as Blades trump Black Berries

Bacoor Blades @ Black Berries
BERRIES
20:08

After a chippy first half, the Bacoor Blades used a second half blitz to pull away from hosts, Black Berries, 102-80 at BERRIES.

A physical Berries side kept in step with the Blades at the first quarter, with a Berries basket even enabling the home side take a 28-27 lead at the end of the first quarter. But a steadier second quarter saw the Blades win the period 23-16 to take a 50-44 halftime lead.

A 7-0 blast led by numerous putbacks by Blades co-captain Kelly Paul saw them go up 13, 57-44. Baskets would be exchanged from then on as the Blades maintain the 13 point edge entering the fourth. The Berries were able to cut the Blades lead to just eight points with ten minutes remaining in the game, but perimeter scoring by the triumvirate of Marcos Paulo Petry and rookies Regan Elizaga and Vergel Meneses Nufable saw the Blades wrest the game from the home side for good as their long bombs hit their mark and were enough to keep their counterparts at bay.

Paul finished the game with game-high 26 points, 21 rebounds and five assists. But the night belonged to the first-year players, with Nufable notching an early career high of 24 points, to go along with seven assists, three rebounds and three blocked shots, and Elizaga, who although only score nine points, was able to grab six rebounds, three assists and block five shots in the game.

"The rookies showed their worth. It was a pleasure to watch." said team manager TheDogMan. "They had their tentative moments where they gave up turnovers. But they showed that they can hang in there with the best of them." he further added.

"Yung guidance nung mga beterano ang talagang nakatulong sa amin ni Regan." said the exhausted Nufable, who played the entire 48 minutes along with Elizaga.

"Salamat talaga at nabigyan kami ng ganitong pagkakataon na maipakita yung kaya naming gawin." said a grateful Elizaga, who only saw a scarce three minutes in their season-opener against BAREFOOT. "Sa tingin ko naman maganda yung naipakita naming first impression."

The Blades will now begin their campaign in the National Tournament on the 14th of March against Mabical before returning at The Bacoor Forum to face ESTORYAHEE! as their third League Assignment.

Blades go from Ugly to Phenomenal in Cup win

National Tournament Round 1
Mabical @ Bacoor Blades
The Bacoor Forum
20:38

From an atrocious first quarter, the Bacoor Blades were able to unleash an avalanche of points in the next three quarters as they pulled away from the visiting Mabical team, 94-44, in the Blades' first assignment of the Philippine National Tournament at The Bacoor Forum.

After the first 12 minutes, the score stood at 13-11 and it looked like the Blades were struggling in the game. But a furious second quarter saw the home side score 29 points while allowing only 10 from the other side, en route to a 42-21 lead at the interval. They followed this up with another 29-point third period - this time they allowed only four points and the dismal first period looked like a thing of the past from then on.

A balanced attack was spearheaded by the perimeter wards of the Bacoor side, led by Eladio Martin's 18 points. Pedro Horcasitas and rookie Regan Elizaga had 14 points each while fellow rookie Vergel Meneses Nufable had 10 as no one player from their roster spent more than 26 minutes on the floor, notched by co-captain Mark Louis Hugos.

The frontline were not too shabby either. Eugenio Genco, sophomores Chester Maynard and Laurence Lacambra and Blades co-captain Kelly Paul, who came off a 26 point, 21 rebound performance in a league game vs. Black Berries, had combined for only 17 points, but corralled 40 rebounds collectively.

"It was the worst first quarter in franchise history in my book." said team manager TheDogMan. "But they turned it around and made it a field day." he further added.

"Bad Q1. period." said Kelly Paul. "But Q2 onwards, beautiful."

The Blades are to play two league games this week; at home against ESTORYAHEE! on the 16th and on the road against GilBanr before they take on jackals 0925 for their second assignment in the National Tournament.

Paul notches first career triple-double in Blades win

ESTORYAHEE! @ Bacoor Blades
The Bacoor Forum
19:50

In what is beginning to be the general plot of their every game, the Bacoor Blades pulled away from a close first two quarters in the second half, en route to trumping another visitor in ESTORYAHEE!, 130-89 at The Bacoor Forum.

To say that the Princeton offense worked to perfection in this game is an understatement, as an unprecedented eight members of the Blades scored in double-digits, led by Kelly Paul, who had a monster outing as he notched his first career triple-double: 27 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, all while playing only 24 minutes off the bench. He was followed by rookie Regan Elizaga, who had 21 points for himself.

"This is a gratifying feeling. I couldn't have done this without the help of my teammates." says the 6'9" American Paul, who is co-captain of the Bacoor side.

"There are times when I wonder why he has not done the feat yet in his career? But I guess there's a time for everything." said team manager TheDogMan. "For his efforts this past three seasons to get better, he deserves to have games like these."

The visiting side was led by Mon Jermaine Tenazas's 23 points, followed by Leorio Pamatmat's 17 and Miguel Eduardo Gelera's 14 points in a losing effort.

The win give the Blades a 3-0 win-loss record so far in the league, while it drops their counterparts to a 1-2 record.

The Blades are to meet GilBanr in their next league assignment on the 19th of March.

Blades to meet GliBanr in next league assignment

Bacoor Blades @ GliBanr
American Airlines
12:25

ERRATUM: In the previous articles that mentioned the team GliBanr, they were mentioned as GilBanr. May the readers of this article be guided.

The Bacoor Blades will be off on the road for their next two games: one league game against GliBanr followed by their next round assignment in the Philippine National Tournament against jackals 0925.

The former showdown, though, is what Blades manager TheDogMan would like to maintain focus for it is expected to be a battle between arguably the league's most potent backcourt in GliBanr's Baltazar Sumampong and Teddy Escaner against the league's most formidable frontline in the Blades' Kelly Paul and Eugenio Genco.

"Well the match-up might look interesting. But then again, it might not be as big as it's supposed to be." says team manager TheDogMan when asked about the prospect. "They're not going to guard each other, my backcourt will deal with their backcourt duo and their frontline will have to deal with our frontline. It's not like its a head-to-head battle." he further added.

"But I guess the best way to put it is which duo is going to be able to make the most impact in the game."

It has been the talk of the town as of late as the Blades and GliBanr are at the top two spots in the Great 8 Conference so far in the young season, with the Blades holding a 3-0 record and GliBanr a 2-1 record. The match-ups on the floor are as so for the backcourt of GliBanr so far during the first three games of the season have been on a scoring tear, with Sumampong scoring on an average of 26.7ppg while his partner-in-crime Escaner score 26.3ppg, good for first and second best in the league, respectively. Escaner is also doing good at the rebounding department with his 16.3 rebound average good for second-best in the league as it stands now.

For the Blades side, however, the frontline has been an impeccable combination, with Kelly Paul and Eugenio Genco so far averaging double-doubles over the course of the last three games, with Paul's 15.3 boards per game and Genco's 11.7 boards per game good for 3rd and 8th respectively.

"We look forward to the challenge and we expect that the guys that we will put on them will make their scoring attempts a notch harder to take." says Eugenio Genco.

"This is a team game. And as much as the match-up is being put in the limelight, at the end of the day, the entire team should be able to work together to get the W." said Kelly Paul, who also serves as co-captain of the Blades' roster.

The showdown shall take place on the 19th of March on the home floor of GliBanr, American Airlines at 5:30 pm.

Blades trump GliBanr for fourth straight

Bacoor Blades @ GliBanr
American Airlines
17:36

The Bacoor Blades turned on their defensive mojo earlier on as they pounced on a hapless GliBanr squad, 87-56 at the American Airlines to notch their fourth win in as many games so far this season.

The Blades blitzed early in the first quarter off baskets by Kelly Paul and Laurence Lacambra. This led to a 21-12 at the end of the first 12 minutes.

They did not let up from then on as they were relentless on the boards, highlighted by their 52-36 advantage.

Blades co-captain Kelly Paul had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blades, who had three other players in double-digit scoring.

The high-scoring backcourt duo of Baltazar Sumampong and Teddy Escaner were limited to a combined 24 points, with Sumampong being the only double-figure scorer for the home side with 18 markers.

"We knew that our perimeter guys can handle the pressure of guarding the two of them." said team manager TheDogMan. "And the bigmen had their back in case one of them is able to slip through their defensive stance." the Blades head honcho added.

"It was a collaborative effort to defend the two of them. We made it sure that we took turns at key points in the game to constantly put pressure on them." said Eladio Martin, who ended the game with 11 points, 4 rebounds and three assists.

"Kailangan talaga masabayan namin sila sa bawat play. Kasi kung hindi, maiiwan at maiiwan ka talaga nilang dalawa." said co-captain Mark Hugos, who had 12 points and 5 dimes.

The Blades will have their second assignment in the National Tournament against jackals 0925 on the 21st before they attempt to extend their winning run in the league to five games at home against BATIL1.

Blades face Division V team in Cup 2nd round

National Tournament 2nd Round
Bacoor Blades @ jackals 0925
lake salt
18:22

For their second league assignment, the Bacoor Blades are to go on the road to face jackals 0925, a Division V team who currently sits at the #4 seed in the Big 8 Conference of League V.47 with a 3-1 record.

"They are doing well in their home league. We can't afford to underestimate this team. Their confidence is a key factor in this game." said Eugenio Genco, the Blades' 7-foot beanpole at the paint.

"Malalakas ang mga gwardiya nila. Kailangang tapatan yung mga scorers nila." said Mark Louis Hugos, point guard and co-captain of the Blades.

What the 6'5" Filipino was alluding to is the guard-heavy offense of their counterparts. Led by their hotshot 2 guard Alex Ilumin, who is averaging 28.5 ppg, the best in their league. They also have a gem of a rookie in Excelino Perfecto Horca, who is a double-double threat with his 19 points and 11 rebound averages.

"We'll have our hands full with those two guys. It's no secret that they are the keys to their offense. It's going to be a tall order to try and hold their productions." said team manager TheDogMan.

The two teams clash on tomorrow, March 21 at 5:30pm live from lake salt.

Lake Salt Massacre: Blades bludgeoned jackals to advance in Cup

National Tournament 2nd Round
Bacoor Blades @ jackals 0925
Lake Salt
19:47

A buzzerbeater of a jam by sophomore Chester Maynard off a pass from rookie Vergel Meneses Nufable marked the end of the game for the right to advance to the third round of the Philippines National Tournament. But the basket did not mean that much as the game was decided way beforehand.

The final score read 121-56 as the Blades literally cruised to victory early, demolishing yet another opponent in jackals 0925 on their very own home court.

The Blades pulled away early in the first quarter. Eugenio Genco already had 10 points and 7 rebounds by the end of the first quarter. as he made all five of his shots in the period, leading his team to a 36-15 tally. The Blades would not let up in the second as baskets from Genco, Co-captain Kelly Paul and guards Iliya Dimov and Pedro Horcasitas kept the pressure on the home side en route to a 74-24 halftime lead. By that time, they already had five players scoring in double-digits.

The Blades took their foot off the gas pedal by the tail end of the third period before cranking it up again in the fourth as even their second unit for the game bombarded the home squad with baskets from each spot on their side of the floor.

Iliya Dimov had a rough first half shooting-wise, but was able to gather himself in the second half and score 20 points. Genco had a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds while frontline partner Kelly Paul had 17 and 9 rebounds for the Bacoor five.

"I don't know if I can pinpoint anything other than the fact that we had to stop their guards." said team manager TheDogMan. "Their guards are their lifeline in terms of points. I think we did the job."

Bimbo Soriano and Excelino Horca led the jackals with 12 and 11 points respectively. Alex Ilumin, jackals 0925's top scorer so far in the season, only had 4 points for the game, a far cry from his 28.5 average.

The Blades will return to league action this coming week with a March 23 clash against BATIL1 and a game against colosals on the 26th before their next Cup assignment.

Blades host BATIL1 in televised game

League IV.23
BATIL1 @ Bacoor Blades (Televised Game)
The Bacoor Forum
15:

In their first of their two televised matches for the season, the Bacoor Blades are to face BATIL1 at The Bacoor Forum later today in an attempt to notch their fifth win in as many games so far in the league this season.

The Blades will have three televised games this season, two of which with their next opponent.

The Blades have dominated their opponents so far in the young season, winning by a comfortable margin each and every time. This had led to different players getting their individual time to show their abilities on the floor and providing valuable rest for the later playoff and National Tournament push of the team. Led by the stellar play of stalwarts Kelly Paul, Eugenio Genco, Mark Louis Hugos, Iliya Dimov and the surprisingly impressive showings of rookies Regan Elizaga and Vergel Meneses Nufable so far in the season, the Blades are on top of the league with a 4-0 win-loss record.

Their opponents, however, are a potent offensive team, as they are averaging 114 ppg so far this season. They have relied on a running game that has led to many opportunities at the fastbreak for the team. This will pose a great challenge to the Blades' defense, which is currently the league's best at just below 74 points allowed per game.

BATIL1 currently has seven players averaging double-figures, but out of those seven, only three have actually played all four games so far in the season: team top scorer Rodil Demafelis, Rodel Mesina and Blasildo Tulio. It is expected, however, that one of their key cogs this season, Antolin Parisan, will miss the game due to an injury. The gunner of a 2-guard averages over 16 points a game as well as leading the team in 3-point percentage at 44%.

"Their a high octane offensive team. We should be able to clamp down on their key runners on the break." said team manager TheDogMan. "But the bottomline is that we shouldn't give them reasons to run. We should grab rebounds more than them as well as take care of the basketball."

"We hope to get them to play our type of game and not allow much fast breaks." says Blades team captain Paul.

The Blades are to face their oppoents today with the prospect of not having team co-captain Mark Hugos and shooter Iliya Dimov suited for the game.

"I want to test the two rookies again if they can carry the team from their positions." said the Blades' head honcho.