MANILA — Mark Yee’s solid output on the boards spelled victory for Davao Occidental Tigers over Pasay Voyagers, 68-61, at the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City Wednesday night.
Yee grabbed 24 boards for Davao Occidental, erasing the 21 rebounds made by Laguna Heroes’ Michael Mabulac in the first game.
Yee did most of the rebounding damage on the offensive end, grabbing 10 offensive caroms, half of the Tigers’ 20 total offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points.
Yee’s tenacity at the glass prompted Coach Don Dulay to go small ball the rest of the way with the six-foot-three forward, known for his lockdown defense, manning the center spot.
The move worked wonders as they held off the Voyagers down the stretch to take the road win.
Yee led Davao Occidental in scoring too, making 16 points on 5-of-8 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 free throws. He also had six assists and one block.
Billy Robles, Leo Najorda, and Bonbon Custodio each added 13 markers as the team moved up to solo second in the Southern Division at 6-3.
Jan Jamon also had 16 points alongside nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal for Pasay, which lost for the second straight time at home and fell to 2-7.
In the first game, Laguna Heroes pulled a shocker over the erstwhile red-hot Manila Stars, with Mabulac grabbing 21 rebounds – which was enough to eclipse Abrigo’s old record of 20.
Laguna actually caught Manila on an off night early on as the latter could only come up with 11 points in the first quarter against the former’s 21.
The Heroes would extend their lead to 16 before holding off the Stars down the stretch to take the wire-to-wire win.
Mabulac added 15 points to back up Denok Miranda’s 21 for Laguna, which now took solo fourth place in the Southern Division at 5-4, winning its last four games.
Aris Dionisio made 17 markers, 15 boards, one assist, three steals, and two blocks for Manila, which fell to third place in the Northern Division at 7-2. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
