Olivos nips AON; Diamond leads suspended game

Guards Bernard Montano and Nate Mateo joined forces in the fourth quarter to lift Olivos/GEC to a 102-99 victory over AON Insurance in the Inaugural 2008 PILCOWA-San Miguel Beer Basketball League Sunday night at the CIC Center Basketball Court in Garapan.

Mateo and Montano fired 10 points apiece in the crucial fourth period to help Olivos/GEC recover from its debut loss to C&R Distributors, 96-103.

Montano top-scored for Olivos/GEC with 26 points, while Mateo tallied all his 18 points in the second half.

The AON-Olivos/GEC game was a close match with neither team able to lead by more than 10 points.

Jon Lim hit two early triples to give AON a 25-20 lead at the end of the first period. But Olivos/GEC grabbed the driver’s seat at halftime, 46-41, as Montano found his rhythm in the second period, nailing 11 markers.

Lim was off in the second canto, but redeemed himself in the third period, firing 14 markers. Mateo was scoreless in the first half, but was 4-for-4 from the free throw line and scored four more points. Montano and Mike Umali added five points apiece to survive Lim’s scoring binge in the third quarter, which ended in a deadlock, 72-all.

The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle with Mateo, Montano, and Umali drilling crucial baskets in the closing minutes of the game to give Olivos/GEC the three-point win.

Olivos/GEC had seven players scoring in double figures. Amor Casabuena fired 15, Glen Mercurio and Umali netted 11 apiece, and Ivan De Vero and Peter Mendiola chipped in 10 each. Mercurio had an all-round game, as he also grabbed 11 rebounds, recorded six assists, and made three steals.

Lim led all scorers with 31 points, while Leo Apelo contributed 15 for AON, which dropped to a 1-1 record. AON won its debut against Century Insurance, 103-87.

In the second game, Diamond Auto Care was leading C&R Distributors, 85-83, when the game was suspended due to rain with 5:29 left in the fourth quarter.

The match will resume on a later date with Diamond’s Elmer Esdrelon taking two free throws off a James Villacrusis foul.

Sahnee Ranola was leading Diamond Auto Care with his 17 points. Darwn Barbo has scored 14, while Ronald Delos Reyes has nailed 14.

Jericho Cruz has fired 19 points for C&R, while Jun Estolas has netted 16 markers.

C&R Distributors was gunning for its second win to join early leader MIGS, while Diamond Auto Care was hoping to recover from its 83-113 loss to MIGS.

Olivos/GEC 102 – Montano 26, Mateo 18, Casabuena 15, Umali 11, Mercurio 11, De Vero 10, Mendiola 10, Olivos 1.

AON Insurance 99 – Lim 31, Apelo 15, Eclevia 13, Factor 10, De Guzman 10, Mendoza 8, Capuyon 5, De Dios 3, Santos 1.

Scoring by quarters: 20-25, 46-41, 72-all, 102-99.