Mobil, Hyatt successful again in co-ed caging

Host Mobil and Hyatt Regency Saipan both had successful charges in the ongoing Mobil Oil Mariana Islands Co-ed Invitational Basketball League Tuesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Mobil staved off a strong push by McDonald’s to leave with a 100-92 victory.

Mobil terrorized their opponents from the offensive end, opening with 35 points in the first period, while holding McDonald’s to 22 points.

Guard Jhun Estolas was again the main driving force in the run as he sliced and diced through McDonald’s defense for 16 points, six coming from long distance.

Mobil continued their shooting spree in the second quarter and padded their lead to 18 points, 61-43, as the one-two punch of Estolas and forward Errol Peredo took care of the scoring load and combined for 19 of the team’s 26 points.

Feeding off the energy from their cheering fans, the McDonald’s cagers began to put up a response to Mobil’s first half charge.

Joseph Achas drilled in a couple of triples and Michael Achas and Gel Gariz added six points apiece to spearhead the fast food restaurant’s offensive attack, while the team pulled together on defense and found a way to silence the opposition, holding Mobil to 16 points to cut the deficit to eight points, 69-77.

McDonald’s continued to inch closer and eventually cut the deficit to just four points, but successful drives by Estolas enabled Mobil to move back to a comfort zone before closing with the win.

Estolas finished with a game-high 33 points, while Peredo and brother Badong Camacho added 22 and 19 points, respectively. Center Pasky Paleno and Marvin Deocares also chipped in with 14 and 10 points.

Joseph Achas led McDonald’s with 28 points, while Gariz and Michael Achas supported with 26 and 20 points.

Earlier, the CNMI Women’s National team put up a strong fight against Hyatt but weren’t able to keep close in the second half, resulting in Hyatt taking an 87-66 victory.

The Nationals played tough and led 48-45 in the early goings of the second half before Hyatt went on a run to close the third quarter up by nine points, 62-53.

Hyatt saw their lead balloon in the final 10 minutes, going on cruise control for the 21-point victory margin.

Arnel Cruz led Hyatt with 20 points, while Shane Villanueva and Leo Itaas contributed with 17 and 16 points.

The Nationals were led by Connie Camacho with 15 points, while come-backing Beverly Igitol and Chariss Ruluked added 14 and 10 points.

First Game

Hyatt 87—Cruz 20, Villanueva 17, Itaas 16, Aki 13, Dimalaog 8, Gabaldon 6, Minori 3.
CNMI National 66—Camacho 15, Igitol 14, Cha. Ruluked 10, Oiterong 8, Che. Ruluked 7, Ogarto 4, Blondin 3, Ngirchongor 2, Cruz 2.
Scoring by quarters: 20-19, 40-37, 62-53, 87-66.
Referees: Ray Lizama and Jess Pacheco.

Second Game

Mobil 100—Estolas 33, Peredo 22, Camacho 19, Peleno 14, Deocares 10.
McDonald’s 92—J. Achas 28, Gariz 26, M. Achas 20, C. Achas 6, L. Achas 4, Balbuena 4, Yang 2, Gutierrez 2.
Scoring by quarters: 35-22, 61-43, 77-69, 100-92.