Sonics survive scare, keep perfect record intact

The Southern Sonics managed to keep pace with the Garapan Rollers I and kept their perfect record intact with a down-the-wire 86-84 victory over a determined San Antonio squad Wednesday in the ongoing 2005 Saipan Rotary Club Youth Basketball League at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

San Antonio gave the undefeated Sonics a scare as Josh Sablan reverted back to his scoring ways and tormented the Sonics’ defense for a whopping 41 points.

The Sonics, however, were able to tie the game and take the lead on crucial free throws by Mike Eclevia with just a few seconds left on the clock and they held on for the win.

San Antonio had control of the match in the early goings as Sablan carried the offensive load and put on a scoring clinic.

The scoring phenom connected on five bombs from long distance and nailed many other field goals for an eye-popping 31 points in the first 20 minutes, helping his team dominate the first half for a 10-point lead at the break, 46-36.

The Sonics, however, were not ready to let go their perfect streak and began to rally. Rowell Aranda led a balanced attack with nine points, and the Sonics managed to slow Sablan down. Southern eventually knotted the score with a little over two minutes remaining, and a see-saw battle ensued as both teams exchanged baskets until two free throws by young gun Bill Babauta gave San Antonio a one-point lead, 84-83.

That’s when Eclevia came to the rescue as he grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and connected on both free throw attempts to give Southern an 85-84 lead.

Ferdinand Palacios added another free throw, and San Antonio was not able to connect on a desperation shot before time expired, giving Southern its eight straight win.

Aranda led Southern with 19 points, while Jack Lizama and Adrian Flores pumped in 16 and 15 points.

Sablan got solid support from Babauta, who finished with 17 points, 11 of them coming in the second half.

As of press time, the Sonics were gunning for their ninth win as they were battling the Bwibwiis.

Sonics 86—Aranda 19, Lizama 16, Flores 15, Eclevia 9, F. Palacios 8, Ferrer 6, Apelo 6, Kintz 4, E. Palacios 1.
San Antonio 84—Sablan 41, Babauta 17, Pangelinan 9, Basa 7, R. Palacios 6, Alvarez 2, Duenas 2.
Scoring by halves: 36-46, 86-84.