Masters caging comes back to finish elims
The 40-and-over Masters Basketball League returns to action tomorrow after taking a break for the Tinian San Jose Fiesta and the All Schools Track and Field Championships the previous couple of weeks.
The first game will be a make up of the Dyno-Sores versus Old Aces tussle originally scheduled last April 24.
Currently, Dyno-Sores is second in the standings a game behind defending champion Verizon. Old Aces, meanwhile, is among three teams occupying the cellar.
Dyno-Sores is a balanced team that thrives in both the half court and fastbreak. It has big men in the persons of 6’4” Tony Raho and 6’3” John Douglas and certified scorers in Warren Villegas, Roger Valencia, and Gilbert Espinosa.
A team raring for a breakout game is Old Aces. Like in the 35-and-under league a year ago, the team is hoping for a late surge to propel it to the championship round.
But the 40-and-over league is a completely different tournament and big numbers must come from hotshot Tony Luzama, playmaker Elias Rangamar and all-time great Tony Rogolifoi if Old Aces still hopes to make noise in the second round.
The second game will then pit CK Legends against a formidable Verizon team – a game originally set last April 25.
A win for Verizon would wrap up the pennant for the Tony Sablan-led team. A loss, on the other hand, would only complicate things and Verizon’s veteran crew wouldn’t like nothing else but perpetuate its dynastic dominance in the 40-and-over league.
Verizon will continue to rely on streak shooter Dado Vistal, swingman Felix Palacios, wily playmaker Frank Iglecias, bruising power forwards Jack Palacios and Danny Bicera, and centers Richard “Doc” Brostrom and Ed Cosino.
Legends will have to play a heck of ballgame to upset the top seeds. Everything starts and ends with league top scorer Alex Ocampo. But for Legends to be really effective Dave Demapan, Mike Muna, Ray Basa, and Lilio Tiples must all contribute and ease the scoring load.
