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Valientes tame Dragons, inch closer to first-ever leg finals appearance in Asian tilt

Sports | Basketball

Valientes tame Dragons, inch closer to first-ever leg finals appearance in Asian tilt

By Mark Rey Montejo

At A Glance

Zamboanga stamped its class and essayed a 106-97 win over Vantablack to inch closer to its first-ever leg finals appearance in The Asian Tournament Thursday, June 20, at the Sentrong Pangkabataan court in Calapan City.

Zamboanga stamped its class and essayed a 106-97 win over Vantablack to inch closer to its first-ever leg finals appearance in The Asian Tournament Thursday, June 20, at the Sentrong Pangkabataan court in Calapan City.

Franky Johnson stars anew for the Zamboanga Valientes (The Asian Tournament)

The Valientes created a huge separation heading into the fourth quarter before fending off the last-ditch effort of the opposing team to arrange a final elimination showdown against the Macau Black Bears on Saturday, June 22, at 6 p.m.

Franky Johnson starred anew as he caught fire with eight triples to finish with 36 points and seven assists to help Zamboanga roll past the Dragons for their third victory in the tournament’s third leg.

“Incredibly proud of the team. Also very proud and thankful to the management for helping us get through these elimination games. I’m very happy to see that the team is finally getting the chemistry we needed for this tough stretch," said former San Beda skipper Peter Alfaro, who backstopped Johnson with 16 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.

Aside from Alfaro, Zamboangueño Job Alcantara dazzled with 17 points, six assists and three steals.

Though the Valientes went ahead in the first three quarters, that did not kill the hopes of the Dragons, who cut the deficit to just 14, 103-89, in the waning minutes.

Alcantara doused the rally with a dagger that made it 106-89 with 2:53 minutes remaining to seal the deal for Zamboanga.

Usman Rasool and Derek Wei King shone for Vantablack with 38 and 30 points, respectively.

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