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Teachers vs Veterans for Rocball title
The Teachers survived the Benchwarmers in the deciding Game 3 of their semis series to punch the last ticket to the finals of the 2014-2015 Saipan Rocball League.
The Teachers, composed of Tyce Mister, Nick Gross, and the husband-and-wife tandem of Jacoby and Kathy Winkfield, pulled off a 49-23 overtime win against the Benchwarmers last Tuesday at the Marianas High School last week to set a finals date with the Veterans.
Game 1 of the best-of-five title series will be played on Monday.
Game 3 of the Teachers-Benchwarmers semis showdown went to overtime as the latter came back to life in the fourth set with a 13-5 win. The Teachers swept the first three sets, 12-0, 12-5, 13-3, but failed to get the juiced-out win as the Benchwarmers fought back in the last set. After four sets, the Teachers led, 42-21, but since Rocball rules allow the leading team to win if it also prevails in the fourth set, the game had to be played in overtime.
In the extension, the first team to score 6 points while in service wins. The Teachers got its sixth point, but it was off the Benchwarmers’ service so the former needed another point to take the overtime victory, 7-2, and wrap up the semis series.
The win was an upset for the Teachers, as they entered the semis series seeded fourth, while the Benchwarmers were ranked first after going unbeaten in the regular season.
The Benchwarmers then absorbed its first loss in the league after the Teachers won Game 1 of their semis fuel, 54-30, The Benchwarmers averted a Teachers sweep, prevailing in Game 2, which also went in overtime, 56-49.
Earlier, the Teachers’ finals foes, the Veterans needed only two games to eliminate Local Motion and marched into the finals first. The Veterans won Games 1 and 2 last week, 56-28 and 47-41.
