Rice Vanguards roar at home

MANILA, Philippines — The Rice Vanguards are ready to defend the land, whatever it takes and whoever dares to invade.

Nueva Ecija, the MPBL defending champion, vowed its readiness to hold the fort in a title defense bid against an expected stacked opposition entering the much-awaited playoffs.

The Rice Vanguards showed a glimpse of their capability by carving out a gritty 88-79 win over the visiting Pasay Voyagers to end their elimination-round campaign on a high note and secure the No. 2 seed in the North Division with a 23-5 record Thursday night at the jampacked Nueva Ecija Coliseum in Palayan City.

Skipper Jonathan Uyloan showed the way with 18 points on 7-of-10 clip laced by five rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

Nueva Ecija bucked a slow start as it trailed by as many as eight points in the first half before feeding on the rousing support of the Novo Ecijanos led by team owner Bong Cuevas and Palayan City Mayor Viandrei Nicole Cuevas.

Michael Mabulac, Stephen Siruma, Harvey Pagsanjan, Pamboy Raymundo and Jay Collado chipped in eight points apiece for the Vanguards who used a 16-4 run in the fourth quarter to take command at 78-67.

“It’s about setting the tone for the playoffs. It’s about being ready for war,” said head coach Jerson Cabiltes in the physical battle against No. 7 Pasay (17-11) serving as a prelude to their likely quarterfinals duel.

“Kung sino makatapat, we’re gonna be ready. We’re gonna go hard at practice at ibibigay namin talaga lahat para madepensahan yung korona.”

But more than defending the crown sitting tightly now at the Nueva Ecija’s majestic fields, the Rice Vanguards beam with happiness to bring pride and honor to the supportive Novo Ecijanos as attested by the full house crowd in their final regular season match.

“It’s a really big impact for us kasi it puts us on the map. The MPBL has put Nueva Ecija on the map,” said Mayor Cuevas, clad in Rice Vanguards shirt, in euphoria after the team’s thrilling win.