Rollers 1 are No. 1 in U17 division

Rollers 1 took the championship plum in the U17 division of the 2015 NMI Rollers Basketball Tournament after wiping the floor clean of Ol’Aces, 72-39, last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Rollers 1 forward Mike Espinosa tries to throw down the ball for a dunk in the second half of their U17 championship game against Ol’Aces in the 2015 NMI Rollers Basketball Tournament last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Mark Rabago)

The host team had a ho-hum first half that saw them only lead the Oleai-based quintet by a dozen markers, 35-23.

Rollers 1 got the 12-point lead thanks to the combined 21 points of Mike Arciaga, Mike Espinosa, and Kenji Abobo.

Arciaga heated up with 10 first half points, while Espinosa slashed his way for another 6 with Abobo chipping in his own 5 markers.

Ol’Aces, meanwhile, was led in first half scoring by the 6 markers each of L.J. Borja and Troy Ngirarois.

Rollers 1 went full beast mode in the second half, as the dynamic duo of the two Mikes—Espinosa and Arciaga—this time was joined in the scoring parade by Anthonio Santos, who fired 8 of his 10 total points in the final 20 minutes of the contest.

Espinosa added another 6 markers, while Arciaga cooled off but still managed 6 markers in the second period.

Darion Jones tried to hold up Ol’Aces’ fleeting hopes, scrambling for 6 of his 8 total points in the second half.

But Rollers 1 was just too much for Ol’Aces as the team went on to outscore the latter by a whopping 21 points in the final stanza to finish the game with the 33-point win.

Arciaga paced the victorious Rollers team with 15 points, while Espinosa and Santos contributed 12 and 10 markers, respectively. Honorable mention also goes out to point guard Jethro Cruz, who quarterbacked the team nicely and still finished with 9 markers.

L.J. Borja and Jones top-scored for Ol’Aces in the loss with 8 points apiece, while Ngirorois and Edmund Borja fired 6 points each.

The finals of the U19 division of the 2015 NMI Rollers Basketball Tournament was also held last Saturday and its results will be published in the Thursday edition of the Saipan Tribune. The result of U15 division finals, which saw the Dolphins triumph against Ol’Aces, 75-48, is posted on the Tribune’s website.

Rollers 1 72 – Arciaga 15, Espinosa 12, Santos 10, Cruz 9, Deocares 8, Abobo 5, Rios 5, Subang 3, Feria 3, Elama 2.

Ol’Aces 39 – L. Borja 8, Jones 8, E. Borja 6, Ngirarois 6, Magofna 5, Castillo 4.

Scoring by quarters: 35-23, 72-39.