MEX – Soles edge ahead of Tecos AEG; Cordoba stay alive in South showdown with Xalapa

MEXICALI (LNBP) - Soles de Mexicali grabbed the upper hand in their North Zone Final showdown with Tecos UAG after winning Game 5 on Sunday.

The team that finished runners-up in the inaugural FIBA Americas League last year, Soles won 77-61 to claim a 3-2 lead.

Soles, who out-rebounded Tecos 41-31, got 18 points from James Penny, 17 from DeJuan Wheat and 15 from Greg Lewis.

The Mexicali team raced into a 45-28 half-time lead and stayed on top the rest of the way.

Halcones Xalapa won the opening two games of their South Zone Final against Halcones Cordoba but slipped up in Game 3 on Sunday 110-103.

Cordoba made an eye-popping 16 of 21 shots from behind the arc, with Jermaine Brown a perfect six of six, Mike Smith six of nine and Cordell Henry four of five.

Tecos trailed 84-80 heading into the last period but clawed their way back.

Dean Brown and Boubacar Aw each scored to the game at 84-84, only for David Meza’s three-ball to put Xalapa, the side that finished runners-up to Universo/BRB in his this year’s FIBA Americas League, to go back in front.

Henry connected from behind the arc with 8:39 to go to make it 87-87, only for Xalapa to open up a three-point lead again.

Cordoba refused to go away with a Jermaine Brown three-ball leveling the contest at 90-90 with 5:32 remaining.

Baskets by Meza and Abdul Mills took the Xalapa advantage back to 94-90, yet two Mike Smith free throws and another Henry three-pointer put Cordoba on top at 95-94 with 2:40 to play.

Mike Johnson drew a foul and made two at the charity stripe to give Xalapa their last lead at 96-95 with 2:28 remaining.

Smith’s three-ball with 2:04 left put the Cordoba team into the lead for good at 98-96.

Cordoba ended the game on a 15-7 run.

For Cordoba, Henry finished with 31 points, Smith scored 27 and Jermaine Brown 20.

FIBA