FTMP completes semis cast

Funky Town Monkey Pimps punched the last semis ticket in the boys division of the 2013 Sun Palace Christmas Basketball Tournament after slipping past Rollers 2, 63-59, last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

FTMP secured a 6-5 record after the 4-point win and joined Rollers 1 (10-1), Rollers 3 (10-2), and Rollers 2 (7-4) in the semifinals, which will be played tomorrow. Though three more elimination games were still scheduled last night, results will no longer affect the Top 4 rankings and the Final Four pairings have been determined with Rollers 1 colliding against FTMP and Rollers 3 dueling Rollers 2.

Rollers 2, which routed FTMP in the first round 69-48, missed sweeping the latter in the elimination round after falling short in the closing minutes of the match and losing a close 33-30 halftime lead. FTMP avenged its defeat to Rollers 3 after getting crucial points from Tristan Montes and three others. Montes scored 6 straight markers in the closing minutes, while Alvin Francisco and Omengkar Kautong added one field goal apiece, and Kenneth Domingo made an insurance free throw.

Omengkar went on to lead FTMP on scoring with his 23 points, while Montes contributed 19. Francisco also finished in twin digits with his 14 points.

Mike Espinosa had 19 for Rollers 2, while Kobe Mendoza chipped in 11.

In other results, Rollers 1 and 2 defeated separate foes to seal the Top 2 spots in the seven-team field.

Rollers 1 bagged the No. 1 ranking after outclassing Rollers 4 (3-8), 60-53, while Rollers 3 whipped Dream Team, 51-18.

The top finisher led from start to finish, leaning on its balance offense to survive the 29-point explosion of Rollers 4’s Dixon Kwon.

Rollers 1 drew 18 and 13 points from William Camacho and Prince Factor, respectively, and got 9 each from Jaron Ano and Mike Arciaga to gain win No. 10.

Arciaga started and ended the first half with a triple to give Rollers 1 the lead after the opening frame, 30-22. Factor took over in the second half, drilling 10 of his total markers, while Ano and Arciaga chipped in 7 each to counter Kwon’s hot shooting.

In the Rollers 3-Dream Team tussle, the former held the latter scoreless in the first 15 minutes of play before giving up on field goal to set up the lopsided victory.

Lily Williams made a fastbreak layup to help Dream Team avoid a shutout in the first half, but still Rollers 3 built a commanding lead at the break, 23-2. Rollers 3 could have widened the gap further if it chose to, but coach Joe Diaz instructed his boys not to go for fastbreak plays and instead focus on their halfcourt setup.

Rollers 3 patiently worked on its offense through the second half and was gifted with the 33-point win, as Dream Team had an off night with only Kyla Ito nailing more than a field goal for the team.

Rollers 3 51 – Dancoe 14, Morales 11, Cruz 5, De Luna 5, Rios 5, Factor 2, Francisco 2, Amog 2.

Dream Team 18 – Ito 10, Castilo 12, Wiliams 2, Abrams 2, Alegre 2.

Scoring by halves: 23-2, 51-18.

Rollers 1 60 – Camacho 18, Factor 13, Ano 9, Arciaga 9, Iglecias 3, Malonzo 2, Pangelinan 2, Yu 2.

Rollers 4 53 – Kwon 29, Ellama 10, Sagun 9, Espinola 3, Toves 2.

Scoring by halves: 30-22, 60-53.

FTMP 63 – Kautong 23, Montes 19, Alcantara 14, A. Francisco 6, Domingo 1.

Rollers 2 59 – Espinosa 19, Mendoza 11, Darag 10, Fidelino 6, Capuyon 6, Subang 2.

Scoring by halves: 30-33, 62-59.