Guardians, Legends draw 1st blood in playoffs

The Guardians and Legends drew first blood in the Pacific Saipan Inc. Promo Invitational Basketball League playoffs that started last Wednesday at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court.

The Guardians skirted past Unity Trade, 63-56, while the Legends whooped Eagles Team, 66-52.

Unity Trade had it all together defensively and offensively in the first three quarters of the game thanks to speedster and sharpshooter Dan Mateo. They had the Guardians locked down with close leads, but it wasn’t enough to keep them at bay in the end.

There were a lot of back-and-forth exchanges that led to Unity Trade’s short lead as the Guardians didn’t give up and attacked the basket as much as they could.

In the first and second quarter, Unity Trade would have 4-point leads, only to be tied up by the Guardians from free throws or layups. However, Unity Trade’s Mateo’s 3-pointers and clutch drives assisted by Paul Quizon allowed them another 4-point lead at the end of the first half, 26-22.

The Guardians came back stronger in the last quarter after being down seven points at the end of the third, 37-44, as they were finally making their shots from within the perimeter and from downtown.

Jomari Dela Cruz and Jerome Directo provided cover twice each from 3-point range, just as their fast-break plays were also getting results to help the Guardians out of the gutter.

The Guardians fought until the last seconds of the game to rally from behind as Unity Trade slowed down from exhaustion and less than perfect execution to win by a seven-point margin.

Directo put up 15, while Jann Godoy and Dela Cruz assisted with nine each.

Unity Trade’s Mateo collected 20 markers, while Quizon had 16 points, and Vince Rodriguez made 12.

In the standings as of last Tuesday, Dec. 19, Alliana’s and Legends are on top with a 6-1 record; Guardians, Bourbon Bar & Cafe, and Maplas are tied with 4-3; Unity Trade is at 2-5; and Eagles Team and Johnny’s Bar & Grill are tied with 1-6.

The semis are scheduled for 6pm and 7:30pm on Tuesday, Dec. 26, while the championship is set for Thursday, Dec. 28 at 4pm.

Guardians 63 — Directo 15, Godoy 9, Dela Cruz 9, Diaz 8, Gatbunton 8, Didulo 6, Lumanlan 4, Agbanlog 2, George 2.

Unity Trade 56 — Mateo 20, Quizon 16, Rodriguez 12, Estores 2, Rejano 2, Hernandez 2, Culala 2.

Scoring by quarters: 11-13, 22-26, 37-44, 63-56.