Advance X-Terminators take 1st finals slot

Pennant champion Advance X-Terminators booked a finals seat in the open division of the Inaugural FMI Inter-Color Basketball League after routing Tasi Tours Giants, 108-90, Thursday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Back from a more than two-week hiatus to pave way for the Oleai Sports Complex’s hosting of the 2008 Oceania Grand Prix and 2008 Oceania Championships, the FMI caging competition also saw GEC Pawnshop demolish Bank of Saipan in the nightcap, this time in the 40-and-over division.

Advance X-Terminators showed no signs of rust as it put some distance between them and Tasi Tours right from the get-go.

Andres “Jhun” Estolas Jr. led the team’s first quarter attack, rifling three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the contest to help Advance X-Terminators take a 25-19 lead entering the second quarter.

Youthful Jonathan Lim then took over where Estolas left off, as he scored in all manner of ways en route to firing 11 points in the second canto to help Advance X-Terminators increase their lead to nine, 52-43, at the half.

While the first two quarters were essentially an Estolas-Lim show, the rest of the Advance X-Terminators squad showed up in the third as six different players ripped the net as the lead ballooned to 17 points, 80-63, entering the fourth and final quarter.

Tasi Tours tried several comebacks in the payoff period—led by the nine points of Ehroll Peredo and Banjo Basila’s two triples—but Advance X-Terminators had no plans to yield the upset.

Lim and center Kelvin Fitial combined for 16 fourth quarter points to frustrate the Giants’ repeated rallies as Advance X-Terminators cruised to the 18-point winning margin.

Lim led all scorers with 33 points, while Estolas and Fitial punched in 21 and 19 markers for good measure.

Peredo led Tasi Tours’ losing cause with 21, while Sonny Ranola added 21, 13 of which he scored in the opening quarter.

Advance X-Terminators now await the winner of the Ol’Aces and GEC Pawnshop match, which was played last night but results were still not available as of press time.

In the second game, GEC Pawnshop followed the first game script when they took an early lead against Bank of Saipan and held it until the end for a 102-83 triumph.

After seeing action in the first game, Ranola was still surprisingly fresh in the 40-and-over game in the second, as he tossed in 13 first-quarter points to lead GEC Pawnshop to an early 25-10 spread.

The game continued to favor GEC Pawnshop as Molly Cacho took over the scoring cudgels from Ranola, pumping in 14 in the second to help his team take a baker’s dozen lead, 53-40, at intermission.

It would go from bad to worse for Bank of Saipan at the start of the second period, as bull-strong center Larry Palero toyed with their frontcourt players muscling his way for 11 points.

And with forward Amor Casabuena adding seven more, GEC Pawnshop was able to open up a 77-54 advantage heading into the final frame.

Cacho then capped GEC Pawnshop’s win by torturing his defenders with 10 more points in the fourth, which turned out to be a mere victory lap for the team

Cacho led all scorers with 28 markers and got ample support from Ranola (21 points), Casabuena (19), and Palero (13).

Come-backing Ed Palma paced Bank of Saipan with 17 points, Sonny Ebuen, Rey Darag, James Abuy, and Joseph Gatdula also chipped in 11 points or more in the loss.

Advance X-Terminators 108 – Lim 33, Estolas 21, Fitial 19, Ruluked 10, Dayrit 6, Barrios 4, Gamboa 3.

Tasi Tours Giants 90 – Peredo 23, Ranola 21, Basila 13, Cosino 11, Factor 9, Joyner 7, Talania 6.

Scoring by quarters: 25-19, 52-43, 80-63, 108-90.

Referees: Arnold Mesa and Gilbert Espinosa.

GEC Pawnshop 102 – Cacho 28, Ranola 21, Casabuena 19, Palero 13, Villafuerte 9, Olivos 6, Viola 4, Buenabajo 2.

Bank of Saipan 83 – Palma 17, Ebuen 16, Darag 11, Abuy 11, Gatdula 11, Ocampo 8, Moreno 4, Tiples 2, Villegas 1.

Scoring by quarters: 25-10, 53-40, 77-54, 102-83.

Referees: Gilbert Espinosa and Boy Garcia.