No lights, no games at Oleai

The power outages at the Oleai Sports Complex have wrought havoc on the schedules of the Inaugural PTI Inter-Government Business Basketball League and the playoffs of the 2008 Budweiser Saipan Major League.

PTI Inter-Government Business Basketball League coordinator Joey Dela Cruz said Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s scheduled brownouts at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium forced them to cancel all games, last week.

“We’re actually playing it by ear. Whenever we have scheduled games we first confirm with CUC about the scheduled power outage at the gym and that’s when we schedule the games.

“Lately this whole week, however, we haven’t been having games because our power outage was scheduled between 8pm to 10pm, but lately it turns off anywhere from 6:30pm to 10 o’clock. So it’s no use for players coming from Kagman and San Roque to go down here spending all that gas and then the power turns off… we just don’t know. So as off now the games are cancelled,” he said in an interview with the Saipan Tribune last Friday.

Dela Cruz said the one week lost due to power outage means that the league would probably have to be extended until mid-September.

“Nothing much we can do about the power outage. The good thing I’m doing is I’m informing them ahead of time. These power outages are prolonging our league. Before the power outages, the league had five weeks to go but because there were no games last week, the league still has six weeks to go,” he said.

One solution, Dela Cruz, said is for the PTI Inter-Government Business Basketball League to utilize the Tuesday and Thursday schedule that used to belong to the Inaugural FMI Inter-Color Basketball League.

“The government league will probably be played everyday now just try to finish this off.”

The July 18 results from the PTI Inter-Government Business Basketball League, meanwhile, saw Legislature beat Department of Public Safety, 91-74, in the first game with Northern Marianas College nipping Tinian, 88-84, in the second.

Meanwhile, SML coordinator Tony Rogolifoi said the league will just have to tough it up and try to schedule around the power outages at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

“It leaves us no choice but to play the game hoping the power will not be shut down,” he said after the playoffs of the BSML kicked off last week.

Rogolifoi said Game 1 between pennant champion and undefeated Rock Steady and San Roque D-9ers will be played tonight and will continue from where it left off last July 21, which was in the bottom of the second inning with the score tied at 0-0.

Tuesday’s action will then see the Rangers and Falcons square off in a winner-take-all Game 3 after the latter tied the series at 1-1 last Friday.

Wednesday, meanwhile, will be Game 2 of the Rock Steady/D-9ers series and Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Thursday. Friday will be reserved for the makeup game.

Rogolifoi said the best-of-five championship between the winners of both semifinals will begin on Monday, Aug. 4.

July 18
First Game

Legislature 91 – Duenas 24, De Leon Guerrero 18, Apatang 12, Punzalan 11, Guinto 10, Cabrera 7, Shanebless 3, Sablan 2.

DPS 74 – Saralu 16, Tawanpiy 16, Preferia 13, Regis 10, Celes 10, Punimata 9.

Scoring by quarters: 15-29, 46-37, 70-49, 91-74.

Referees: Dado Vistal and Eric Artillaga.

Second Game

NMC 88 – Wallace 45, Tumaquip 18, Aguon 12, Villagomez 5, Diaz 4, Manibusan 4.

Tinian 84 – Borja 21, Reyes 15, Santos 15, Borja 10, Aquiningoc 6, Manglona 4, Cruz 2, Morgan 1.

Scoring by quarters: 22-19, 41-38, 71-63, 88-84.

Referees: Jess Pabula and Noel Delos Santos.