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Natural Mystic, Saipan Ice stay afloat
Natural Mystic?s Dan Barcinas loses the ball after drawing a foul on a San Antonio defender during their game in the MDX caging late last month at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court. Barcinas scored 21 points in Natural Mystic?s 65-59 win over IT&E last Friday. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)
Natural Mystic and Saipan Ice & Water remained in contention in the 2014 MDX Amateur Radio Club Basketball League after outclassing separate foes last Friday at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court.
Saipan Ice saw action in the curtain-raiser against MDX and bagged a 76-69 win to improve to a 2-4 record for a tie for seventh to eighth place with the Pelicans (2-4). In the second game, Natural Mystic downed IT&E, 65-59, to gain a 2-3 record for sixth place in the 10-team field.
Only the Top 6 teams after the round-robin regular season will advance to the playoffs with the first two finishers drawing automatic semis berths and the last four battling for the two remaining Final Four tickets.
Dan Barcinas lifted Natural Mystic to the important win, as he scored a team-high 21 points. He and Alex Standish helped Natural Mystic keep its distance against IT&E in the fourth quarter.
Barcinas nailed two triples in the fourth, while Standish drilled five of his 12 markers in the final canto.
Natural Mystic led from start to finish, as IT&E tallied no more than 17 points in each of the four quarters and only Errol Peredo and Marlon De Dios broke into double figures. Peredo had a game-high 22 points, while De Dios chipped in 17.
In the first match, Saipan Ice outgunned Armatech in the second half to nail its second win in six games. Saipan Ice and Armatech were even after the first half and the latter clung to a 32-31 halftime lead before the former gained leverage in the third. Saipan Ice drew two field goals each from four players in the third period to take the upper hand, 49-45.
Derick Rangamar, Nokki Saralu, and Syl Teregeyo then delivered the killer blows in the fourth, as they combined for 23 of the team’s 29 markers in the payoff canto. Rangamar dropped 9 points, while Saralu hit two triples and made all his 8 markers in the fourth, and Teregeyo chipped in 6. The trio’s baskets countered the triples Ferdie Tobias and James Abuy hit in a missing bid to give Armatech its second victory.
First Game
Saipan Ice 76 – Rangamar 16, Teregeyo 14, Norita 12, A. Kaipat 8, N. Saralu 8, Sablan 6, Cayading 6, , Factor 4.
Armatech 69 – Berline 18, Abuy 15, Tobias 13, Montano 10, Gabaldon 9, Crisostomo 4.
Scoring by quarters: 14-14, 31-32, 49-45, 76-69.
Second Game
Natural Mystic 65 – Barcinas 21, Standish 12, Ulloa 11, Lisua 9, Reyes 6, Ogarto 5.
IT&E 59 – Peredo 22, De Dios 17, Mateo 5, Barrios 5, Camacho 4, Garcia 2, Hernandez 2, Park 1.
Scoring by quarters: 19-14, 35-30, 51-42, 65-59.
