Angie's Boys and the Refaluwasch Rebels split the first two games of their best-of-three championship series in the Blue Haus's 3rd Invitational Basketball League, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 tonight at the Garapan Basketball Court.
Angie's Boys took Game 1, 59-52, which first 33 minutes was played last Monday before the two clubs finished off the final minutes during the game's resumption Wednesday.
R-Rebels equalized the finals series later in the evening, winning Game 2, 80-67.
Game 3 starts promptly-weather permitting-at 7pm this evening. A beautiful championship trophy and cash prize will go to the winner. A total of 18 teams divided among three pools originally made up the field.
Angelo Fernando sizzled in the first quarter of Game 1 last Monday. He strung together 12 points in the first period to give Angie's Boys an early 18-13 lead after the first canto,
The count merely shifted to 30-24 at the half in favor of Angie's Boys as Eugene Manglona took the reins from Fernando in the second quarter. Frank Mettao paced R-Rebels through the first two frames with 14 points.
It remained a physical battle after the break as Angie's Boys maintained a 47-42 spread heading into crunch time thanks to a late 3-pointer by Ralph Francisco that complemented another 6 markers from Fernando in the third.
With just under seven minutes left in regulation the match was suspended and upon resumption of the match, R-Rebels' Fred Litulumar tried to ignite a comeback with a trio of buckets.
However, Litulumar's flurry of points were matched on the other end by Francisco as Angie's Boys held on to draw first blood in what was an uneventful continuation aside from a self-destructive technical foul by R-Rebels.
Fernando finished with a game-high 21 points, while Mettao logged 18 in the loss.
R-Rebels would eventually regroup in the second match, but they remained in the backseat again in the first quarter of Game 2, 16-21, as Angie's Boys' Fernando tallied 9 points from the tip gift-wrapped with mixed support.
Shane Deleon Guerrero and Y.J. Nakayama hooked up for a baker's dozen in the second stanza as R-Rebels clawed its way back to a 37-all deadlock at mid-point. A handful from Manglona fronted Angie's Boys in the second quarter.
The R-Rebels put their heads down and grinded out a 54-48 lead after three as Omar Mawaz and Nakayama came off the bench for 8 points that provided a much-needed spark for the squad.
Deleon Guerrero then stepped up huge in the clutch and with 15 points that willed the R-Rebels to the win. He was everywhere on the court and created offense by snatching multiple steals in transition. Jimmy Pua added three late buckets from the post to help seal the deal as well.
R-Rebels' Deleon Guerrero and Angie's Boys' Manglona co-led the field with 25 points apiece.
Game 1
Angie's Boys 59 - Fernando 21, Francisco 17, Manglona 13, Yap 4, Francisco 2.
R-Rebels 52 - Mettao18, Litulumar 10, S. Deleon Guerrero 7, E. Camacho 8, W. Camacho 4, R. Deleon Guerrero 2, Nakayama 2.
Scoring by quarters: 18-13, 30-24, 47-42, 59-52.
Game 2
R-Rebels 80 - S. Deleon Guerrero 25, Pua 12, Norita 9, Nakayama 9, E. Camacho 8, Litulumar 7, Nawaz 4, Mettao 4, R. Deleon Guerrero 2.
Angie's Boys 67 - Manglona 25, Fernando 21, Francisco 12, Maranan 7, Yap 2.
Scoring by quarters: 16-21, 37-37, 54-48, 80-67.
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