287 Club, Poohdeni win as MDX continues

Action in the 2005 MDX Amateur Radio Club Inter-Color Basketball League continued Saturday, with both 287 Club Verizon and Poohdeni pulling the right strings to leave the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on the winning side.

In the opener, 287 Club took advantage of a slow start by SMF-Seabridge and led after each 10-minute period to leave with a well-deserved 82-72 victory.

The 287 Club players limited their opponents to just 11 points in each of the first two quarters and while working their magic at the offensive end to take a 14-point lead into the break, 36-22.

287 Club was determined to carry over their success to the second half, and after matching their opponents point for point in the third, managed to close with the score in their favor as power forward Darwin Barbo maneuvered his way for 12 points in the last 10 minutes to help his team stave off a run by Leo Itaas and the rest of SMF.

Itaas found his touch in the dying minutes, but his 14 points in the fourth weren’t enough to erase the deficit.

Barbo finished with 21 points, while center Richard Pambid and playmaker Jhun Sinca pumped in 13 and 10 points for 287 Club.

Itaas had another solid performance and led all scorers with 24 points, while sharpshooter Sonny Lerio chipped in with 10 points for SMF.

In the second game, Jawn Joyner, Lester Babauta, and Ron Gamboa provided much of Poohdeni’s offensive power and led their team to an easy 95-75 victory over Micronesian Brokers Inc.

What was a tight ballgame in the first period soon turned into a rout as Poohdeni outscored MBI 27-16 in the second stanza to turn a 22-22 score into a 49-38 cushion at halftime, with Gamboa exploding for 13 points in the second quarter.

MBI fought back after their brief break and cut the deficit to seven points, 66-73, heading into the fourth as shifty guard Jerry Mangahis and slotman Larry Palero both went off for 10 points, but just when it seemed MBI was making a run, Poohdeni dropped another defensive wall on their opponents and held the team under the 10-point mark in crunch time to cruise to victory.

Gamboa led Poohdeni with 23 points, while Joyner and Babauta contributed 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Mangahis and Palero paced MBI with 21 and 20 points.

First Game

287 Club 82—D. Barbo 21, Pambid 13, Mungcal 12, Sinca 10, Sampang 7, Bernardo 7, Pineda 4, Arconado 4, G. Barbo 2, Sabino 2.

SMF 72—L. Itaas 24, Lerio 10, Cayetano 9, Badilles 7, Sison 6, Banatasa 5, Pardinan 4, Arcanghel 3, Moises 2, Demengillo 2.

Scoring by quarters: 17-11, 36-22, 55-41, 82-72.

Referees: Dado Vistal and Noel Delos Santos.

Second Game

Poohdeni 95—Gamboa 23, Joyner 20, Babauta 19, Muleta 7, Umali 7, De Guzman 6, Macaspac 5, Agbanlog 4, Uy 3.

MBI 75—Mangahis 21, L. Palero 20, Gayo 8, R. Palero 7, Garcia 6, Samson 6, Lauron 3, Sese 2, Peleno 2.

Scoring by quarters: 22-22, 49-38, 73-66, 95-75.

Referees: Noel Delos Santos and Abner Venus.