G-I shows no mercy, schools sister team

The Garapan Rollers I were determined to get off to an explosive start in the 2005 Saipan Rotary Summer Youth Basketball League, and did so with an electrifying debut Thursday evening at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The G-Rollers earned much respect from their up-and-coming protégés in the G-Rollers II as they worked hard on both ends of the floor to stamp an 89-52 victory in the books.

The younger crew, however, was in good shape in the opening half and kept pace with their mentors. With the elder players on relaxation mode, the young guns took advantage of their opportunity and trailed by just seven points at the break, 21-28.

Their luck quickly evaporated as Pedro Iguel and company opened the second half with a bang and blew the game wide open courtesy of their full-court pressure defense, which forced the younger Rollers to turn the ball over, resulting in many open court buckets.

Iguel and guard Joemar Tumaquip help put a smile on coach Joe Diaz’s face as the two took care of much of the offensive load, capitalizing on the sharp defensive play of fellow teammates on the floor.

Despite sitting on the bench for well over six minutes in the half, the versatile Iguel wounded up tormenting the opposition for 24 points on fast break opportunities as well as drives in the lane.

Iguel finished with a game-high 32 points while Tumaquip and Jerry Cruz knocked in 16 and 12 points to lead the G-Rollers I.

Alan Moses paced G-Rollers II, scoring 11 of his 12 points in the second half, while Richard Basila and Nate Mateo pumped in nine and eight points, respectively.

Rotary action continues tomorrow with the Bwibwiis taking on the Southern Sonics at 5:30pm. Two games follow on Tuesday, with the San Antonio Sixers I and Breeze banging heads at 5:30pm and Team Hoops going head to head with the G-Rollers I at 7:30pm.

For more information on the Rotary league, contact Jovie Omar, Mario Sablan, or Elias Rangamar at 664-2502.

G-Rollers I 89—Iguel 32, Tumaquip 16, Cruz 12, Tebuteb 7, Aldan 7, Castro 6, Teregeyo 3, Pangelinan 2, Chariton 2, Devero 2.
G-Rollers II 52—Moses 12, Basila 9, N. Mateo 8, D. Mateo 7, Teregeyo 6, Iguel 4, Camacho 2, Avila 2, Sumpe 2.
Scoring by halves: 28-21, 89-52.
Referees: Jess Pacheco and Dado Vistal.