Titans, Golden Oldies survive down-the-wire thrillers

Powerhouse MARPAC-Nissan Titans barely kept its perfect record intact, while Bacardi-Golden Oldies picked up its first win of the season as action in the 2005 Budweiser Cup BANMI Men’s Island-wide Basketball League continued Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

In the opener, the Titans battled back from deficits after the first two quarters and held on for their fourth straight win with a nail-biting 96-94 victory over the young O’Douls-Ol’Aces.

The Ol’Aces came out firing and used their speed to build a 10-point lead after the first 10 minutes, 31-21, with guard Dan Barcinas leading the way with 15 points.

The Titans, however, had the height advantage and crashed the boards for second-chance opportunities that enabled them to slowly close the gap in the second period. By halftime, the team had cut Ol’Aces’ lead to just four points, 51-55.

The Titans continued their furious charge and swung the lead to their favor in the third period as Aleric Aguon, Mark Wallace, and Kelvin Fitial spearheaded a 24-12 run, giving Nissan a 75-67 advantage.

Nissan held a comfortable lead in the early goings of the payoff period, but a desperate charge by the Ol’Aces closed the gap. With Rotary players Pedro Iguel and Jack Lizama knocking down shots, the BANMI 25-and-under champions inched back into contention, but clutch drives by Jawn Joyner, free throws by Tim Wesley and Wallace and a bucket by Andres “Jhun” Estolas Jr. enabled the Titans to hold on to the close victory.

Joyner led the Titans with 25 points, while Fitial and Steve Rasa punched in 16 points apiece. Wallace and Aguon also added 12 and 10 points.

Barcinas led the Ol’Aces with 28 points while Lizama and Iguel both had 20 points. Forward Mel Tagabuel also chipped in 17 points.

In the second game, veterans Gilbert Espinosa and Rufino Aguon put on a shooting clinic and led Golden Oldies to their first win with a 93-92 victory over Anheuser/ 3’s Construction.

Aguon and Espinosa had the hot hands early as the two combined for six triples in the first half.

The Oldies held a slim lead after the first period, only to see it evaporate as Errol Peredo, Kevin Cequena, John Artates, and the rest of the Anheuser crew fought back with long bombs of their own to take the lead in the second quarter.

The Golden Oldies would not go away though and a buzzer-beating baseline jumper by Ray Macduff enabled the team to tie the game heading into the break, 44-44.

Anheuser, which is also backed by National Car Rental and Aon Insurance, regained the lead as they held the Golden Oldies to just nine points in the third stanza. While the Oldies were cooling off, Peredo and Darwin Barbo were busy putting points on the board, lifting Anheuser to a 69-63 advantage with one quarter left.

Bacardi retaliated in the last 10 minutes, with Aguon and Espinosa playing key roles in the comeback. Aguon hit two more triples and had 10 points, while Espinosa drilled in nine points, including the deciding free throw that gave Bacardi the one-point win.

Espinosa finished with 32 points, while Aguon had 22 points to lead Bacardi. Point guard Joe Punzalan and center Tony Raho added 15 and 12 points.

Peredo and Barbo led Anheuser with 26 and 22 points, while Cequena, Artates, and Jolan Mendoza pumped in 11 points apiece.

First Game
Marpac-Nissan Titans96—Joyner 25, Rasa 16, Fitial 16, Wallace 12, Aguon 10, Camacho 4, Peters 2, Wesley 2, Quitugua 2, Estolas 2.
O’Duols-Ol’Aces 94—Barcinas 28, Lizama 20, P. Iguel 20, Tagabuel 17, Kaipat 4, Seman 3, Dillay 2.
Scoring by quarters: 21-31, 51-55, 75-67, 96-94.
Referees: Arnold Mesa and Jess Pacheco.

Second Game
Bacardi-Golden Oldies 93—Espinosa 32, Aguon 22, Punzalan 15, Raho 12, Tamondong 6, Nepaial 4, Macduff 2.
Anheuser-8-3’s Construction-Natl-Car Rental 92—Peredo 26, Barbo 21, Cequena 11, Artates 11, Mendoza 11, De Dios 5.
Scoring by quarters: 22-17, 44-44, 63-69, 93-92.
Referees: Dado Vistal and Noel Delos Santos.