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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.