Second straight title for Ghasias Brothers

They needed all four sets and two overtime periods, but the Ghasias Brother won in double O-kon off of a Freddy Pelisamen goal to capture their second consecutive title in the championships of the World Organized Rocball Interscholastic and Community League last Wednesday night at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

Later named the most valuable player of the playoffs, Pelisamen scored an ace, five kees, and a goal in double O-kon to give the Brothers their second championship in as many years.

The Brothers made their way into the MHS Gym with their minds and hearts focused on defending their title from last season, but they knew that they were going to have to beat a determined Shag squad to do so.

The Brothers put Shag in a hole early in the night when they jumped out to take the first set 16-9. With one set under their belts, the Brothers seemed to loosen up a bit, and had trouble getting the offensive points that they needed as they held off Shag 20-13 in the second.

Up 2-0 at the halfway point, the Brothers held a 36-22 advantage in overall points, and the boys could smell victory in the air, but with each passing volley, Shag seemed to be improving. It was never more evident than toward the end of the third set when Mario Laniyo scored a goal, and the Brothers were able to squeak past with a 19-18 win.

The Brothers held a 3-0 lead in the set count, were leading 55-40, and were just one set away from accomplishing the goal that they had set from day one of the season before the wheels started to fall off.

Shag blew the Brothers out of the water with a 15-3 whooping to win the fourth set to prevent them from juicing out and force O-kon. Once there, Shag took advantage of the race to 10 by smoking the defending champs, 10-2, forcing yet another O-kon.

The entire game hinged on what team was able to win the final set, and that all came down to who was the first to score 10 points or score a goal. The Brothers were watching a game, in which they dominated in all but the final set, slip away from them. Trailing 6-4, the Brothers got the lift they needed from their most dependable player, as Freddy Pelisamen came through to score a goal to end the game.

Overall, the Shag scored five aces, 17 kees and a goal, compared to five aces, 17 kees, and a goal by the Brothers.

Aside from being named the MVP, Freddy Pelisamen was also dubbed the game’s heavy hitter, scoring an ace, five kees and a goal to lead his team in the victory with 15 points.