Joeten Cage Tournament Riggers, Costco score opening day wins

Defending champion Saipan Stevedore and Price Costco posted contrasting victories as the 3rd Annual Joeten Group of Companies Basketball Tournament got underway last Saturday at the CMS Court in Gualo Rai.

In the first game, Saipan Stevedore Riggers playing coach Dado Vistal hardly played but his squad nonetheless carved out a masterful 79-43 whipping of Hafa Adai Shopping Center.

With the 6-foot-1 ex-pro starting the game on the bench, the Riggers reeled off the first 8 points of the match before settling to an 18-8 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

Vistal would enter the ballgame in the second quarter and immediately made his presence felt scoring all his 7 points in the period.

The defending champions continued to outscore Hafa Adai in the canto and led by 14 points, 33-19, at the break.

Reverting back to a full-time coach’s role at the start of the third, Vistal let his young turks – guards Jacob Benevente and Lewis Cabanit and center Jhon Delos Santos – play their game and the ploy paid dividends as the Riggers blew the game wide open and took a commanding 53-25 margin going into the fourth and final quarter.

Delos Santos would then team up with Benjie Garcia in the last 10 minutes of the ballgame as the Riggers begun their title retention bid with the 36-point rout.

The 17 points and 11 rebounds of Delos Santos led riggers, while Garcia and Benavente added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The game-high 19 markers of slotman Pasky Peleno and the 10 of point guard Yasu Irinaka paced Hafa Adai.

In contrast to the blowout in the curtain raiser, the second match pitting Price Costco and Athlete’s Foot was a war right from the start and featured Sixers teammates Henry Van Meter and Henry Sablan playing on opposite sides.

With both Henrys starring, Price Costco and Athlete’s Foot finished the first quarter on a dead-even 12-all count.

Sablan, who wore a jersey that had “Kumoi” stitched on the back, pumped in 7 and Van Meter 8 points in the period.

Price Costco took the initiative in the second quarter as Van Meter proved to be as deadly on the defensive end of the floor as he was on shooting the ball through the net.

With Van Meter swatting 3 blocks in the period, Price Costco limited Athlete’s Foot to just 11 points and led 31-24 at the half.

After another stalemate in the third, which saw both teams scoring 20 points each, Athlete’s Foot began to rally in the fourth as guard Joey Villegas became unstoppable.

But defensive lapses by Athlete’s Foot inside the last 3 minutes did them in as John San Nicolas scored 8 straight unmolested points from the paint.

Van Meter played a heck of a game and finished with almost a triple double with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks. Teofilo Alfonso and San Nicolas added 15 and 13 points for Price Costco.

Villegas went on to pace Athlete’s Foot with 25 points, while Sablan chipped in 20 markers in a losing cause.

First Game

Saipan Stevedore 79 – Delos Santos 17, Garcia 11, Benavente 10, Laxamana 8, Efraim 6, Cabanit 6, Ignacio 6, Cabildo 4, R. Guerrero 2, B. Guerrero 2.

Hafa Adai Shopping 43 – Peleno 19, Irinaka 10, Atalig 4, Francisco 3, Pillarina 3, Waltes 2, Herera 2.

Second Game

Price Costco 68 – Van Meter 28, Alfonso 15, San Nicolas 13, Pagcaliwagan 7, Roby 5.

Athlete’s Foot 64 – Villegas 25, Sablan 20, Intervalo 6, Lauron 4, Rocasa 4, Bocago 2.