Ol’Aces force 3-way tie for lead

The Ol’Aces’ Leowell Cristobal, right, loses his dribble as he is tightly guarded by a Runnin’ Rebels defender during the first half of their game in the boys U19 division of the Tan Holdings holiday caging last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Ol’Aces slipped past the Runnin’ Rebeles, 50-47, in the final elimination round game in the boys U19 division of the 2015 Tan Holdings Christmas Basketball Tournament last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Irvin Olopai top-scored for the Ol’Aces in their close win after knocking in 11 points, with 7 of them registered in the second half. He recorded 5 straight points in the closing minutes of the match and tallied 7 of the Ol’Aces last 11 markers.

The Ol’Aces needed a lift from Olopai in the second half as they played catch up with the Runnin’ Rebels, who lived up to their name in the first 20 minutes of play. The Runnin’ Rebels outsprinted the Ol’Aces in the fastbreak plays to build a 17-8 advantage midway in the first half. The Ol’Aces then fought back and managed to move within one at the break, 27-28.

In the second half, Nak Nakashima took over in the opening minutes, scoring 6 consecutive points, while Aiferson Atan added 4 before Olopai stepped up to close out for the Ol’Aces.

With the win, the Ol’Aces are in a three-way standoff for the lead, joining the Sonics and Rollers 1. The three squads finished the round-robin elimination with similar 3-1 records.

The Sonics foiled Rollers 1’s bid for a sweep after earning a 63-58 victory last Thursday.

The Sonics hit important free throws in the end to hand Rollers 1 its first loss in the tournament. Gerald Flores made a pair, while Bryan De Guzman also had two charities and nailed the Sonics’ last 4 points.

Mii Tekopua led the Sonics in scoring with his 12 points, while Flores finished with 9. Mike Arciaga had 21 for Rollers 1.

With the Rollers 1, Sonics, and Ol’Aces in a deadlock for the top spot, they are all assured of the playoff spots, but tournament organizers need to break the tie to determine the pairings in the semifinals. Rollers 2 completed the Final Four cast with its 1-3 mark, while the Runnin’ Rebels are eliminated. In the semis, which will be played this Saturday, the pairings are No. 1 versus No. 4 and No. 2 against No. 3.

Saturday Game
Ol’Aces 50—Olopai 11, Nakashima 10, Atan 9, Castillo 9, Francisco 4, Iba 2, Moses 2, Stefano 2, D. Norita 1.
Runnin’ Rebels 47—Atalig 14, Sablan 10, Peter 5, Siech 5, Norita 4, Florencio 3, Ngiraroas 2, Jones 2, Tadeo 2.
Scoring by halves: 27-28, 50-47.

Thursday Game
Sonics 63—Tekopua 12, Flores 9, Castro 8, De Guzman 8, Lansang 7, Espinosa 6, Javier 5, Kintaro 4, Feria 2, Borromeo 2.
Rollers 1 58— Arciaga 21, Alipio 11, Deocares 7, Je. Cruz 6, Darag 4, Dancoe 2, Factor 2, Ong 2, JP Cruz 2, Ellama 1.
Scoring by halves: 23-22, 63-58.