A Plus draws 1st blood in Preseason Masters League

A Plus drew first blood in the NMIBF Masters Preseason Basketball League after they muscled past Latte Built, 112-70, last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

A Plus was in a league of their own from the get-go, sinking their shots as often as their attempts, while Latte Built was still trying to get their bearings straight. A Plus led, 20-0, a few minutes already into the first quarter.

Latte Built couldn’t find any openings in A Plus’ strong defense until finally, Joel Saplan broke the ice and put them up on the board. Latte Built still ended the first quarter with a huge 6-39 deficit.

A Plus’ momentum only quickened from there, as Latte Built fell into a deeper hole and lashed out with multiple back-to-back fouls. A Plus’ Jun Estolas led the team from the free throw line for a 47-28 second quarter.

At this point, A Plus didn’t have to exert themselves any longer as they had a more than comfortable cushion leading into the second half of the game, but Dexter Mendiola and Chris Sanchez continued to make it rain buckets.

Latte Built’s Noel Conti tried to move their number on the scoreboard little by little from the 3-point line, but his efforts were wasted as A Plus added more and more points on their end.

At the final buzzer, A Plus blew Latte Built out by 42 points, 112-70. Mendiola had the honor of the most points with 31, while Sanchez scored 20, Joel Javier made 19 points, and Estolas put up 18. For Latte Built, Conti collected 23 points, Albert Pangan had 16, and Saplan scored 12.

The next game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, 6:30pm at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

A Plus 112 – Mendiola 31, Sanchez 20, Javier 19, Estolas 18, De Guzman 14, Echavez 10.

Latte Built 70 – Conti 23, Pangan 16, Saplan 12, Gragasin 10, Cubangbang 3, Lilies 2, Goco 2, Isip 2.

Scoring by quarters: 39-6, 47-28, 86-47, 112-70.