Aim Low wins Rocball finals opener

Aim Low needed an overtime to thwart the Teachers in Game 1 of the finals series in the 2011 Rocball Fall League yesterday at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The J.R. Gechig-led Aim Low won the series opener of the best-of-five title duel, 46-38, leaning on its strong service game in the extra set to draw first blood against the Teachers. Game 2 will be played today.

A.J. Aguilar served for Aim Low in the fourth and extra set and connected on two aces for a 4-0 lead. The Teachers broke Aguilar’s next serve, but could not keep the possession, while Y.J. Nakayama served next for a 6-2 lead. Aim Low then needed only two more points to end the match and they did when another serve was unreturned, as Maria Ornes scrambled down low and failed to hit her target near the right sideline.

Game 1 of the final series went in o-kon when the Teachers won the third set, 14-12. The regulation ended with Aim Low still on top, 38-36, however it could not take Game 1 outright as Rocball rules state that the leading team can only win if it prevails in the third set.

In overtime, Aim Low needed to win only one set, while the Teachers must take two sets. Also in overtime, a team can only win a set if it takes a six-point margin first or scores a goal.

Aim Low managed a two-point lead in regulation after winning by six in the first set, 15-9. The Teachers took the second set by only two points, 13-11, to still fall behind, 22-26, going into the third set. Aim Low led, 11-9, in the third set and was one point away from a juiced-out victory before Tyce Mister and Nick Gross led the Teachers’ comeback to steal the set and forced overtime.

However in the extra set, Mister and Gross, who also teamed up with Kristine Springer and John Nekaifes, could not keep up with Aim Low’s serves and dropped the series opener.

Aguilar and Nakayama top-scored for Aim Low in Game 1 with 10 points each. Nakayama had four aces and one xunk, while Aguilar logged two aces and three kees. Gechig added eight points off three aces and one kee.

Gross led the Teachers with 12 markers, built on four kees and two aces, while Mister and Nekaifes contributed eight and six, respectively. Neither team scored a goal, which is worth three points.

The Teachers and Aim Low arranged their championship showdown after sweeping Just-Do-It and Roc It in the semifinals, respectively, last week. The semifinals was only a best-of-three affair.