Saipan Tribune

Friday, May 24, 2013

Thursday, September 13, 2012

PIC, Hoopaholics share early lead

Pacific Islands Club and Hoopaholics/Oceanside Bar notched their second straight win to share the early lead in the 2012 Emon Lodge 179 Basketball League-Docomo Brotherhood Cup.

The Hoopaholics, who won its debut against the Sonics in Sunday's opener, played in the first game at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last Tuesday night and downed Hi-Five, 73-54. In the second match, PIC, which opened its campaign with an 83-64 triumph against the Archers, had another double-digit winning margin after thumping the debuting Ashley's, 95-80.

PIC had a jackrabbit start, survived Ashley's second-quarter storm, regained its bearings in the closing minutes of the third period, and then played a solid fourth quarter to nail the 15-point victory.

James Abuy canned two triples in the first period and finished the quarter with 8, while big man Brett Sutton did the damage inside for PIC, firing 9. Sutton, Brad Demapan, and Darwin Barbo manned the paint for PIC, making life difficult for the much shorter frontliners of Ashley's. The trio combined for 16 points and together with Wowie Abuel's deuce, PIC took a 28-14 lead at the end of the first period.

However, PIC lost the double-digit lead when it sat out four of its starters early in the second period. Ashley's went on to outgun PIC in the second, 27-14, with Manolo Manalo scoring 10 points to move his team within one at the break, 41-42.

Ashley's then had its first taste of the lead midway in the third, 51-49, off Marlon De Dios' layup, and it stretched the lead to as high as 5 before PIC recovered. Back-to-back triples from Abuy and one from Abuel in the last three minutes of the third allowed PIC to regain the upper hand, 66-63.

PIC never lost the lead from thereon, as the foul-troubled Sutton, who missed the entire third quarter, came back in the fourth fresh and teamed up anew with his fellow big men, while Niko Salem also contributed to the squad's cause. A Sutton inside basket off a flashy spin move brought PIC's lead to double digits, 83-73, entering the final three-minute mark of the game.

In the first game, the Hoopaholics held Hi-Five to 9 points in the third quarter to break the game wide open en route to its 19-point win.

Hi-Five was still in the game at halftime, behind by only three, 27-30, when its offense slowed down in the third, drilling only 4 fields goal. The Hoopaholics' Edwin Camacho almost outscored the entire Hi-Five crew, as he logged 8 points to give his team a big 51-36 advantage.

Hi-Five never recovered and dropped its debut.

First Game

Hoopaholics 73 - Camacho 22, Litulimar 14, Babauta 12, Fitial 10, Lisua 9, Tenorio 4, Manibusan 2.

High-Five 54 - Iguel 22, Mendiola 13, Peters 7, Rasa 6, Acosta 3, Villacrusis 3.

Scoring by quarters: 9-13, 30-27, 51-36, 73-54.

Second Game

PIC 95 - Barbo 17, Abuys 16, Ba. Demapan 16, Sutton 15, Abuel 13, Salem 12.

Ashley's 80 - Manalo 18, De Dios 16, Mangali 15, Paraiso 6, Aquino 6, Mungcal 5, Cortez 2.

Scoring by quarters: 28-14, 42-41, 66-63, 95-80.