Runnin’ Rebels dash to easy victory over Fixers

The Runnin’ Rebels stepped on the gas pedal in the second half en route to a 90-60 demolition of the Diamond Fixers in the resumption of the 2009 BANMI-Budweiser Basketball League Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

After a neck-and-neck battle in the first half, which ended with the Runnin’ Rebels ahead by only a deuce, 31-29, the Sonny Flores-coach squad raced to a 60-44 advantage, going into the fourth quarter.

The younger and faster crew of Flores pushed the tempo of the game in the second half making several fastbreak layups. The Runnin’ Rebels also outgunned the Fixers in the second half with Jesus Iguel and Jose Tumaquip alternately hitting long jumpers.

Iguel, who canned only three field goals in the first half, began burning the hoops in the third period with his daredevil drives and pull up jumpers. He drilled the Runnin’ Rebels first four points in the second half on two long jumpers and added two more baskets, while teammates Tumaquip, Bob Coldeen Jr., Leroy Rangamar, and Syl Teregeyo buried one triple apiece giving their team a 16-point advantage, entering the final canto.

The Diamond Auto Fixers were held to only four points in the first seven minutes of the third period, as they either lost the ball several times on fastbreak plays or missed badly from outside.

At the end of a lackluster third quarter, only Junar Guiab made more than one field goal for the Fixers, who tried to recover in the fourth quarter, but failed to keep pace with the streaking Runnin’ Rebels.

Behind by 16 entering the payoff period, Brendo Talania nailed a triple and a 15-footer to spark a short 7-2 run and move Diamond within 11 points, 51-62, with less than seven minutes left in the game.

But that was the closest that the Fixers could get, as they went back to their struggling mode fumbling the ball and missing outside shots.

Iguel halted the Fixers’ rally with a triple increasing the Runnin’ Rebels lead to 14, 65-51. He added 10 more points in the fourth quarter leading the Runnin’ Rebels breakaway in the final six minutes of the match.

The Runnin’ Rebels had a 28-9 windup in the remaining six minutes of the game to cruise to a 30-point win.

Iguel finished with 31 points and drew double figures contributions from four teammates. Tumaquip chipped in 14 after firing three triples, Teregeyo added 12, while Coldeen and Jerome Norita had 11 and 10, respectively.

Talania top-scored for the Fixers with 14 points, while Errol Peredo and Guiab nailed 10 apiece.
[B] Runnin’ Rebels 90[/B] – Iguel 31, Tumaquip 14, Teregeyo 12, Coldeen 11, Norita 10, Lisua 7, L. Rangamar 3.
[B] Diamond 60[/B] – Talania 14, Peredo 10, Guiab 10, Camacho 8, Esdrelon 5, Capalad 4, Marasigan 3, Fernandez 2, Apelo 2.
[B] Scoring by quarters:[/B] 14-11, 31-29, 60-44, 90-60.