ITOGON, Benguet – Kurt Tamiray and Oshwald Matias are starting to click together as they led Atok to a 98-86 victory over Bakun at the Tuding barangay gym here Saturday in the Cong. Eric Go Yap Congressional Cup Men’s Basketball League.
Matias started the ball rolling with a basket and when Tamiray hit a trey from the right corner, he drained his own as Atok rolled to an early 12-4 lead.
But Bakun fought back and ended the first quarter just three off Atok, 27-30, then moved to within one, 34-35, but was outscored 19-5 for a 15-point disadvantage at halftime, 39-54.
Atok appeared to have ended the game early in the third quarter when it took a 21-point lead, 68-57, but a 17-2 Bakun run saw that lead down to six, 59-53.
Atok woke up from that and closed the quarter with its own 21-10 to make it a 17-point affair, 80-63.
Bakun had one more push and narrowed the gap to eight, 72-80, but it was the last gasp as Atok put on the gas to lead its opponent comfortably until the buzzer.
“Errors on our part when we allowed them to pull within one early, but we adjusted and pulled away anew,” said coach Arthur Calvin Vargas.
Tamiray led all scorers with 30 points, while hauling nine rebounds, dishing out eight dimes and adding three steals and four blocks for top game honors.
Joshua Gaspar had 17 points in the win, while adding three rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Kurt Lee Limpayos backstopped Tamiray, the former Cordillera Career Development College guard who helped the team to two Baguio Benguet Educational Athletic League titles, with 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and a block, while Matias chopped in 11 markers before fouling out late in the fourth canto. He hauled four boards, dished two assists and stole five times.
“I’m starting to play comfortably now with Oshwald and with him out late, we lost someone good on defense,” said Tamiray of his former rival, who gave him a very difficult time when Atok played the now defunct La Trinidad 2 team last year where Matias was one of its point guards.
Atok improved to 2-1.
Kabayan, meanwhile, is trailing Tublay, 23-25, at the end of the first quarter after leading 20-10 middle of that canto.
