Ulloa recovers from slow start to win in debut

After a forgetfully slow start, Ulloa blasted its way back into contention and emerged victorious in their 2005 BANMI 25-and-Under Basketball League debut against the San Antonio Wildcats Saturday afternoon at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The horrific start featured just two field goals and a free throw for the Ulloa cagers, who fell behind by a handful after the first quarter.

While Ulloa struggled to get in line, the Wildcats were busy taking advantage, storming for a comfortable 19-5 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

Ulloa, however, was determined to break out of its cold spell, and finally had shots falling for them as they racked up 18 points in the second period, with John Sablan and Gus Palacios carrying much of the load.

The breakout, however, was matched by the Wildcats, who also poured in 18 points, and thus, kept a firm grip on their 14-point cushion, leading 37-23 at the break.

Sablan and company came out firing at the start of the second half, and stunned the Wildcats, whose double-digit breathing room evaporated into thin air after being held to 11 points while allowing 25.

It was all Ulloa from then on as they took control of the bout, executed well at the offensive end, and watched the Wildcats force their shots in crunch time.

A 9-2 run to start the fourth sparked Ulloa’s push, and the team finally broke into a double-figure lead with over five minutes remaining courtesy of a bucket in the paint by Palacios, 65-54.

The Wildcats remained in contention after a bomb from downtown by Henry Sablan and a free throw pulled them back to within striking distance, 58-67 with about four minutes left in regulation.

The Wildcats, however, were held to just two points the rest of the way, while Ulloa put the icing on the cake for their first win of the season.

Sablan led all scorers with 21 points while Tyrone and Gus Palacios finished with 15 and 14 points. Dominic Sampson and Josh Sablan also supported with 11 and 10 points.

Sablan paced the Wildcats with a team-high 14 points while JR Ngeskebei pumped in 13 in a losing cause.

Ulloa 80—John Sablan 21, T. Palacios 15, G. Palacios 14, Sampson 11, Josh Sablan 10, D. Palacios 5, Ja. Sablan 2.

Wildcats 60—H. Sablan 14, Ngeskebei 13, Kapileo 7, Lizama 7, Yu 6, Manibusan 5, Taitano 4, Kiyoshi 2, Lawrence 2.

Scoring by quarters: 5-19, 23-37, 48-48, 80-60.

Referees: Dado Vistal and Elias Rangamar.