Sonics dominate Ol’Aces in finale

The 670 Sonics’ Jester Kintaro pulls up for an and-1 basket against Wong’s Sean Apasan during their semis game in the U15 division of the Diaz youth caging last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The 670 Sonics won the battle of the Top 2 teams in the finale of the U15 division of the Inaugural Frank M. Diaz Memorial Youth League after romping past the Ol’Aces, 92-78, last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Sonics, who finished second in the elimination round with their 5-1 record, banked on the solid offensive games of Jester Kintaro and Kristian Itaas, to pull off an upset over the top-ranked Ol’Aces. The Ol’Aces, coming into the winner-take-all finale, were undefeated in the elimination and extended their streak to seven after beating the fourth-seeded NMI Rollers in the first semis match, 73-69, last Saturday morning, while the Sonics prevailed against Wong, 71-63, in the other Final Four pairing.

Kintaro scored 17 points in that semis win, but he had to bleed for points, as he was often doubled and even tripled team by Wong defenders. However, against the Ol’Aces in the afternoon finale, the 6’1″ Kintaro was able to throw his weight around his defenders and used his height advantage to cherry pick in the paint. The Sonics center ended up leading all scorers with his 32 points.

Kintaro’s strong inside presence was complemented by Itaas’ steady outside shooting and slashing moves, as the latter also finished in double figures with 20. The Sonics’ 1-2 punch also drew enough support from Rafael Ordona and John Caruano, who chipped in 14 and 10, respectively, to offset the combined 54 markers of Troy Ngirarois and Napu Atalig.

Ngirarois sizzled for 30 points for the Ol’Aces, while Atalig added 24 and they kept their team in the game after the first quarter, as the Sonics were ahead by only 5, 20-15. The Ol’Aces duo combined for 10 points in the opening frame, while Kintaro and Itaas teamed up for 8 markers and the Sonics drew contributions from three other players.

In the second period, Itaas opened the Sonics’ scoring with a bucket followed by Kintaro’s 4 straight markers, while Ordona knocked in 10 of his total points in that canto to stretch their team’s lead to double figures, 42-29.

The Zachariah Johnson-coached Sonics were never threatened from thereon, as the Ol’Aces failed to put a body on Kintaro inside, while Itaas also hit his target and delivered the killer blows for the eventual champions after scoring 11 points in the final canto.

The title victory in the inaugural Diaz caging ended the Sonics’ misfortunes in the various youth leagues on Saipan beginning late last year. The club’s U18 crew was ousted in the semis in the San Antonio caging and then fell to nearly the same Ol’Aces crew in the Tan Holdings holiday league’s finals.

The Sonics also entered two teams in the U18 division of the Diaz youth caging with their senior squad having a good chance of making it to the playoff round.

670 Sonics 92—Kintaro 32, Itaas 20, Ordona 14, Caruana 10, Bravo 4, Dionisio 4, Bayot 2, Ruiz 2, Linaogo 2, Royce 2.

Ol’Aces 78—Ngirarois 30, Atalig 24, Saralu 11, Edrico 9, Sablan 4, Atan 2.

Scoring by quarters: 20-15, 42-29, 61-49, 92-78.