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| Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANDALUYONG--A clutch triple from Aljun Melecio was all Punks needed to repulse Hype, 103-98, in the 2016 Slam Rising Stars Classic at the Gatorade Hoops Center on Sunday night.
The La Salle commit fired the dagger trey with 44 seconds left as Punks staved off a late push by Hype in the endgame of the annual high school all-star game by Slam Magazine.
The Punks were actually in a good position of winning the game sooner as they held a 98-91 lead with 1:45 remaining.
But a split from Tyler Tio and a three-point play by late replacement Mike Enriquez pushed Hype to within three, 98-95, with 56 seconds on the clock.
Melecio then fired the huge bucket from downtown to bring Punks up by six, 101-95, as Hype struggled in the most needed of times.
Tio, fouled by Ricci Rivero while making a triple, only made one of three free throws, while Enriquez missed a layup off a steal that sealed the fate of both teams.
Juan Gomez De Liaño tallied 16 points, while Evan Nelle added 15 for Punks, which offset a 23-point outburst from Hype's John Lloyd Clemente.
Enriquez, who replaced the injured Jolo Mendoza, chipped in ten markers for Hype.
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