Team Kio remains perfect after routing Ko’Bees

Team Kio players pose for a group shot after downing Ko’Bees in the second game of the Island-wide Men’s BudLight Basketball League last Monday night at the Tinian Multi-Purpose Gymnasium. (Contributed Photo)

The top met the bottom when unbeaten Team Kio took on cellar dweller Ko’Bees in the second game of the Island-wide Men’s BudLight Basketball League last Monday night at the Tinian Multi-Purpose Gymnasium.

Team Kio took a while to blow out Ko’Bees but the inevitable eventually happened with the latter notching its ninth win without a single loss, 78-40, against the also-ran Ko’Bees.

After a low scoring first quarter that saw Kio only lead, 13-9, Robert Reyes and Marvin Cruz combined for 11 points to give their team a bit of wiggle room at the half, 29-23.

Reyes then personally presided over a Kio onslaught at the start of the second half, as the team finally put some distance between themselves and Ko’Bees. Kio’s top scorer fired 12 points in the third quarter that saw them take a 57-32 spread against Ko’Bees.

It’s as if a dam suddenly burst open in the fourth and final quarter, as Kio’s deluge of points continued to inundate Ko’Bees. With Team Sablan—Pika, Bing, and Dustin—giving Reyes a hand, Kio completed the 39-point massacre.

Reyes top-scored for Kio with his 25 markers, while Cruz quietly back-stopped him all game with 12 points of his own.

In the earlier game, Rampage kept pace with the league-leader after laying waste to Team CNMI, 82-72.

Upset-conscious Team CNMI caught Rampage napping in the first quarter as they managed to take a 23-18 lead thanks to the two triples of Anthony Borja.

Rampage, however, took the game more seriously at the start of the second stanza and took the driver’s seat, 39-33, at the half with Jayron Epity running amok with 12 points in the second quarter.

Epity continued his hot streak in the third, tossing in another 14 points as Rampage upped its lead to 61-48 entering the fourth and final quarter. Anthony and Esteven Borja tried to fight back in the last 10 minutes of the game, but lost steam in the end as Leo Pascua shut the door on CNMI with his timely 3-point shooting.

Epity was the high-point man for Rampage with a 34 points, while Pascua added 24 points in support. CNMI, which dropped to below .500 at 4-5, was led by the 19 points of Anthony Borja. At 8-1, Rampage is only half a game behind of squeaky clean Kio.

Last Friday, Marines Devil Dogs raised its record to 6-2 after downing RNV, 61-51. It was RNV’s sixth loss in eight matches. The other game then saw FPA Power Builders manage to free itself out of the cellar after surprising SMA Flyers, 61-45. The latter is now tied with the former at 2-6.

The league resumed last night with FPA Power Builders seeking to a break a tie in the team standings with RNV in the first game. The second game then had SMA Flyers praying for a miracle against heavily favored Marines Devil Dogs.

First Game
Rampage 82 – J. Epity 34, Pascua 24, Johanes 6, T. Borja 6, R. Borja 4, Cepeda 4, Untalan 2, Erickson 2.
Team CNMI 72 – A. Borja 19, Maligson 10, Manansala 8, Lizama 8, K. Borja 8, E. Borja 8, D. Borja 7, Monkeya 2, Santos 2.
Scoring by quarters: 18-23, 39-33, 61-48, 82-72.

Second Game
Team Kio 78 – Reyes 25, Cruz 12, B. Sablan 11, P. Sablan 10, D. Sablan 10, King 4, Kiyoshi 3, Sanchez 3, Cabrera 2.
Ko’Bees 40 – Slim 11, Haropol 10, Stanley 6, Miklo 5, Jay 3, Chino 3, Magas 2.
Scoring by quarters: 13-9, 29-23, 57-32, 78-40.