Fab4 noses out HiDaze in women’s finale

Fab4’s Eleina Santos pulls up for a shot against HiDaze’s Chevy Kate Alipio during their title game in the women’s open division of the Saipan leg of the 3×3 Hoopfest Marianas 2017 last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Fab4 withstood HiDaze’s late rally to pull off a 10-8 victory in the women’s division finals of the Saipan leg of the 3×3 Hoopfest Marianas 2017 last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Sisters Eleina and Annalei Santos delivered the points for Fab4 in the homestretch to foil HiDaze’s comeback bid and rule the four-team field.

Fab4 once enjoyed a 7-2 advantage behind the 6 straight markers of Eleina, but was threatened in the last two of the 10-minute title match when Chevy Kate Alipio and Mark Kay Alferos teamed up in bringing HiDaze back into contention. Fab 4 was stuck to 7 points, while a layup from Alferos off Alipio’s feed moved HiDaze within one, 7-6.

Eleina then gave Fab4 more breathing room, 8-6, when she drove baseline and slipped past Alipio before pulling off for a banked shot against the outstretch arms of the much smaller Alferos. However, HiDaze refused to give up with Alferos drilling her third straight basket to close the gap anew, 7-8.

A free throw from Eleina put Fab4’s advantage back to a deuce, but HiDaze was still persistent and this time Alipio was the one who knocked in the shot to keep her team’s title hopes alive, down to the last 20 seconds of the finals.

Just behind by one, HiDaze focused its defense on the streaking Eleina in Fab4’s next offensive play after Alipio missed on a potential game-tying free throw. Eleina then drew HiDaze’s defense before dropping the ball to her sister Annalei in the paint. Annalei, who earlier figured in a shoving incident with HiDaze’s Cassandra Camacho, barreled her way through the defense of the latter, but overshot her mark. Fortunately, the burly Annalei got the offensive rebound, went up for a banked shot, and this time drilled the insurance, 3 seconds left in the game.

Now down by 2, HiDaze was pressured to take a shot from beyond the arc to tie the match. However, HiDaze failed to pull up for one, as Alferos’ pass to Alipio was a bit strong and hit the latter’s knee. Alipio scrambled to recover the ball and lost precious seconds in doing so, allowing Fab4 to keep the close win and the title in the Saipan leg of the 2017 Pacific Mini Games qualifier.

Despite the loss, HiDaze will join Fab4 in the finale of the Hoopfest Marianas where finalists in the Tinian and Rota legs will also play for the right to represent the CNMI to the Mini Games in Vanuatu this December. HiDaze advanced to the division finals after slipping past CTSI in the morning game last Saturday, 7-6. Fab4, which was unbeaten in the tournament, had a free pass to the title match after winning via forfeit against Blue Babes.

Meanwhile, results in the boys U16 and U19 divisions and the men’s open categories will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Tuesday edition.