SBC on its way to clinching top seed

Saipan Badminton Club’s Han Cheol Yu prepares to serve during their game against Community Badminton Club. (Jon Perez)

SBC, aiming to win a fourth straight crown, has already collected 58 markers for a 12-point advantage over second running Shirley’s Badminton Club’s 46. Community Badminton Club, last week’s second placer, fell to third with 39 markers. Three points are awarded to a team that wins a match in two games, while 2 points are given to the winning squad and one to its opponent if the match goes to three.

SBC faced CBC in last week’s matches at the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai and quickly collected 9 points after successive 2-game wins in the men’s B, BC and A divisions, respectively.

Yun Jun Lee and Han Cheol Yu started things off for SBC, as they easily overpowered CBC newcomers John Costales and Owen Ou, 21-9, 21-6. Daniel Kim and Jongmin Lee followed it up with a hard-earned 21-18, 21-18 decision over the pair of Zeke Macario and Jeremi Montenejo.

Glenn Buultjens, the Northern Marianas Sports Association November Male Athlete of the Month, teamed up with Sam Jones in completing a 21-18, 21-14 win over CBC pair Andreau Galvez and Jordan Pangilinan.

Buultjens and Jones, in both games, trailed as Galvez and Pangelinan had a little help from their unforced errors. The SBC pair, down 14-9 in the second game, dug deep from their bag of tricks by scoring 12 straight points to seal the win.

Havika Farro and Nicole Malasarte gave CBC its first and only win after escaping with a 21-18, 17-21, 21-14 victory over SBC’s Dianne Francisco and Rowena Sison.

Hannah Choi, in the last match of the day, exacted some sort of revenge as she partnered with Marlene Pareja in dealing Janelle Pangilinan and Jen Savellano a 21-17, 21-17 drubbing. Choi with Sison as her partner squandered their twice-to-beat edge and lost to Pangilinan and Savellano in the finals of last month’s Tan Holdings Open 2014 badminton tournament.

Shirley’s overtook CBC at second place after a 10-5 tally against Golden Racquets. The pairs of Hapi Gabriel and Macoi Aguda and Lani Bartolome and Windy Fernandez gave Shirley’s 3 points each in the men’s and women’s A doubles. Gabriel and Aguda downed Gary Bandoja and Edwin Maratas, 21-16, 21-18, while Bartolome and Fernandez tripped Ana Omori and Cheng Saturno, 21-16, 21-17.

The tandem of Lucelle Lampera and Marylyn Montano gave Golden Racquets its lone win after posting a 21-13, 21-17 triumph over Jaja Bocago and Annette Ta in the women’s doubles B. Shirley’s scored 2-1 wins in the men’s B and men’s BC divisions. (Jon Perez)