NMC quest for pennant hinges on last two games

Basketball aficionados probably have lost count on how many matches in the Inaugural PTI Inter-Government Business Basketball League were suspended due to the rolling power outages, but they certainly remember the latest one was the important game between Northern Marianas College and defending champion Autonomous Tuesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

NMC and Autonomous players were getting ready for the second half when darkness filled the gym.

Players, officials, and several spectators waited for a few minutes wishing that the power will be back soon.

Wish not granted.

Game was suspended with NMC leading at halftime, 45-35.

The match was one of the two remaining games in the regular season. The playoff cast is already completed, but the last two matches still must be played to determine the league’s pennant champion.

NMC holds an 8-1 record and a win against Autonomous and the Commonwealth Ports Authority last night will give them the pennant, beating PTI in the tiebreaker. PTI finished the regular season with a 10-1 mark, but will drop to No. 2 spot if NMC sweeps its last two games due to the win-over-the-other rule. PTI lost to NMC in their lone match in the regular season, 82-87.

The NMC-Autonomous tiff was first set for Aug. 26, but the match was suspended even before in started. PTI was playing the Department of Public Works/Procurement & Supply on the same night, but a power outage stopped the game in the 4:32 mark in the fourth quarter.

NMC and Autonomous players were already in the gym, waiting for the PTI-DPW game to finish, but were forced to go home early and wait for another week to play the cancelled match.

Still, Autonomous and NMC did not have much luck when they reported for the rescheduled match Tuesday night.

The continuation of the game was set to be played last night. NMC was also scheduled to duel CPA on the same night.

Mark Wallace was leading NMC’s attack against Automous, having scored 17 points in the first half.

Rufino Aguon has added 10 points, all in the second quarter to turn a 15-14 lead in the first period to a 10-point margin at halftime.

Aguon scored NMC’s last four markers in the second quarter on a rare four-point play. The CNMI Men’s and Junior National coach swooshed a triple from the left key and made the shot. He was given a bonus shot on a second motion from Autonomous’ Ed Diaz.

Ponce Rasa was leading Automous with 14 points.

Meanwhile, Tinian outgunned the Department of Corrections in their make-up game Saturday, 104-93.

Ringo Reyes topscored for Tinian with 30 points, while Jess Aquiningoc and Anthony Borja chipped in 20 and 18 markers, respectively.

After leading Corrections by only three points at halftime, 38-35, Tinian started pulling away in the third with Reyes and Aquiningoc on the firing end. The duo combined for 15 third-quarter points and gave Tinian a commanding 72-57 lead, entering the final period.

Tinian never looked back from thereon as Reyes continued to hit his shots in the fourth canto.

Tinian 104 – R. Reyes 30, Aquiningoc 20, Borja 18, Santos 13, J. Reyes 10, Sarmie 6.

Corrections 83 – Blas 15, Itibus 13, Iguel 11, Quitugua 11, Joab 9, Mendiola 8, Mendez 4, Santos 2.

Scoring by quarters: 20-all, 38-35, 72-57, 104-83.

Referees: Connie Camacho and Eric Artillaga.