Diamond Auto Care outlasts Ol’Aces

Diamond Auto Care survived an intense game, pulling off an 82-74 win over Ol’Aces at the conclusion of the regular season of the 2009 BANMI/Budweiser Basketball League Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Diamond and Ol’Aces were fighting only for the second seeding in the playoffs, but the way their players banged bodies, exchanged words, and complained to referees on several occasions, it seemed as if both teams were fighting for dear life.

Referees Arnold Mesa and Manny Sitchon even had to halt the match in the last 3:25 of the fourth quarter to prevent an altercation between Diamond’s Pando Muleta and Ol’Aces’ Freddie Pelisamen from further escalating.

The ball was in play on the left sideline after a Diamond inbound play when Mesa caught Muleta and Pelisamen banging bodies on the opposite sideline. Neither Muleta nor Pelisamen was called for a violation and the game resumed a few minutes later after both camps exchanged hi-fives, proving order was restored in the match.

Diamond led by 10 points, 76-66, when the game was stopped and it maintained the cushion after getting timely baskets from Badong Camacho, Bruce Berline, Elmer Esdrelon, and Muleta.

After Diamond took an 18-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, Ol’Aces played catch up most of the way.

Pelisamen was at the forefront of Ol’Aces’ repeated comeback bids. His buzzer-beater in the third quarter cut the lead to five, 57-52.

Diamond contested the basket, but both referees said the last shot was counted. Later after the game, Mesa explained that they counted the basket even if the ball was still in the hands of Pelisamen when the buzzer sounded because the Ol’Aces gunner was airborne.

The disputed basket came after Junior Renguul threw a prayer with the clock winding down. The ball bounced off the rim, but Pelisamen leaped for the offensive rebound and tossed the ball in.

Mesa explained that had Pelisamen been on the ground when he had the ball, the basket would’ve been nullified.

Diamond couldn’t get its mind off the last play in the third quarter and committed an error at the start of the fourth quarter when Errol Peredo stepped on the left sideline.

But after that miscue, Peredo and Brendon Talania anchored Diamond’s 10-0 run, turning a five-point lead to a 67-52 advantage with more than two minutes gone by in the fourth period.

Ol’Aces never recovered from thereon, as Diamond always found ways to widen the gap each time the former closed in.

Muleta top-scored for Diamond with 19 points, while Berline had a double-double with his 13 markers and 10 rebounds.

Pelisamen nailed 29 points, but was held to three points in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, as he was frustrated by the pesky defense of Diamond players.

Diamond finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, winning the tiebreak for the No. 2 spot in the playoffs against IT&E and Ol’Aces.

Ol’Aces slid to the No. 3 spot, while IT&E settled for fourth, followed by Docomo, Quichocho Law Office, and the Runnin’ Rebels. The CNMI Nationals led the league with their 9-3 record and are seeded first in the double-elimination playoffs.
[B] Diamond 82[/B] – Muleta 19, Berline 13, Talania 12, Camacho 10, Esdrelon 6, Fernandez 4, Joyner 4, Brostrom 4.