GMJ/IKKI ousts PIC, enters division finals

GMJ/IKKI Wholesale’s Juan Camacho, center, beats Devin Galloway, right, in a battle for the loose ball, during the third quarter of their semis game in the west division of the San Antonio caging last week at the San Antonio court.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

GMJ/IKKI Wholesale eliminated Pacific Islands Club, 79-76, to barge into the west division finals of the 2015 San Antonio Community Action Network Basketball League.

GMJ/IKKI played better team basketball at the resumption of their rain-suspended semis match at the San Antonio court last week to notch the second finals berth and arrange and winner-take-all championship showdown against Blue Haus.

The GMJ/IKKI-PIC tiff, which was first played last Dec. 15, resumed last Dec. 29 at the 8:39 mark of the third period with the match in a standoff, 36-36, and the former’s Allison Dizon attempting for two free throws. He muffed both charities and GMJ/IKKI went on to miss all its shots in the next three minutes of play, while Darwin Barbo gave PIC its first basket and Jack Aranda nailed back-to-back layups for a 42-36 advantage.

However, PIC went cold after that and scored only 4 points in the closing minute of the third canto, allowing GMJ/IKKI to regain the upper hand, 48-46.

PIC failed to keep the momentum it got early in the third, as it leaned heavily on Barbo and Aranda and Mike Espinosa and Jake Quitugua struggled, while James Abuy spent a lot of minutes on the bench. Quitugua ended up scoreless in the match , as he watched PIC kiss its finals bid goodbye from the sidelines in the majority of fourth quarter. PIC tried to use other players to back up Barbo and Aranda, but to no avail.

On the other hand, the backcourt trio of Elgene Mangali, James Villacrusis, and J.R. Barrios worked well with big man Dizon and Juan Camacho. The guards took charge of scoring for GMJ/IKKI, while the frontliners stood their ground against Barbo and company.

Barrios and Mangali teamed up in GMJ/IKKI’s 5-0 swing late in the fourth after a controversial 8-second backcourt violation charged against their team to post their biggest lead in the game, 68-57.

The disputed call started with GMJ/IKKI holding a 63-57 advantage and Dizon getting ready for the inbound play at the 4:00 mark of the fourth canto. Dizon then passed the ball to Mangali, who was hounded by PIC defenders and eventually charged with the infraction by referee Toto Banatasa. However, GMJ/IKKI protested the call, as the game clock read at 3:54. The match was temporarily halted with the confusion in the game clock and Banatasa’s call. League official Boy Garcia ruled in favor of GMJ/IKKI based on the game clock, but the two other referees (Fyke Sabino and Robert Tamondong) stuck with Banatasa’s earlier decision and handed possesion to PIC.

At the resumption of the match, PIC turned the ball over, leading to an and-1 fastbreak play from Barrios off a feed from Mangali. Barrios then returned the favor to Mangali in the ensuing play to give GMJ/IKKI a double-digit advantage.

PIC tried a late rally behind the triples of Barbo, Aranda, and Abuy, but ran out of time, while Mangali and Villacrusis hit crucial free throws to keep GMJ/IKKI’s safe distance. PIC scored all its last 15 points from downtown, 9 of them came from Abuy, who could have provided his team with the needed baskets earlier when GMJ/IKKI was beginning to gain control of the match.

GMJ/IKKI 79 – Villacrusis 21, Mangali 13, Camacho 7, Barrios 7, Estevez 7, Borja 6, Ferrer 6, Litulumar 6, Dizon 3, Sison 2.

PIC 76 – Aranda 27, Barbo 20, Abuy 11, Rabasto 8, Castro 4, Espinosa 3, Galloway 2, Hambros 1.

Scoring by quarters: 21-17, 36-32, 48-46, 79-76.