Vil March Amacna of Alegria (left) muscles his way to get away from Badian's defense after grabbing the ball in this bit of action.
Published on: Apr 27, 2026, 9:35 am
Games on Tuesday:
(Malabuyoc Sports Complex)
- 6 p.m. - Moalboal vs. Ginatilan
- 8 p.m. - Malabuyoc vs. Ronda
ALEGRIA survived a late-game scare from Badian to clinch an 81-75 victory and a guaranteed spot in the semifinals of the Calderon Cup 2026 21-Under basketball tournament last Friday, April 25, at the Alegria Sports Complex.
The win that sent Badian on an early vacation solidifies coach Albert Alocillo's squad as the second team to punch a direct ticket to the semis, joining the powerhouse Dumanjug (5-1) at the top of the standings.
The first half looked like a blowout for the home crowd as Alegria dominated the early frames behind a balanced offensive attack and built a commanding 23-point lead (43-20) in the second quarter.
However, Badian refused to go quietly, and instead used a suffocating trapping defense in the second half that forced Alegria into a string of costly turnovers. A furious 10-0 run in the fourth quarter pulled Badian within seven points, 69-62, sending the local fans into a frenzy. However, despite the pressure, Alegria regained their composure at the free-throw line to hold off the late charge as Badian simply ran out of clock.
Vil March Amacna delivered yet another "Best Player of the Game" performance, dominating the paint with 21 points and nine rebounds. Jaymar Cometa provided the much-needed support with 14 points and five rebounds.
On the other side, James Ivan Alviso led all scorers with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Clark Aron Bulahan added 21 points in the losing effort.
Earlier in the day, Malabuyoc bested Ginatilan, 95-86, creating a statistical deadlock in Bracket B. Both Alegria and Malabuyoc finished the elimination round with identical 5-1 records. However, in the tie-breaking system Alegria garnered six points while Malabuyoc had four points.
With this, Alegria earned the right to claim the second semifinal seat of the eight-team tournament. Malabuyoc, on the other hand, was relegated to the quarterfinal round where they face Ronda, the no. 3 team in Bracket A.
Meanwhile, in the lower half of the bracket, Ginatilan edged out Badian in the point system despite both having 1-5 records. Ginatilan now moves on to a cross-over quarterfinal match against Moalboal.
The battle for the remaining two semifinal seats intensifies as the action moves to the Malabuyoc Sports Complex for the Quarterfinals this coming Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (JBM)
