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Tinian caging playoffs resume tonight
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Posted on Nov 29 2021
Tinian Amateur Basketball Association said the Final Four of the Island-wide Men’s Bud Light Basketball League will resume tonight at the Tinian Multi-Purpose Gymnasium. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
After more than a month of postponement, the Tinian Amateur Basketball Association will resume its Island-wide Men’s Bud Light Basketball League tonight at the Tinian Multi-Purpose Gymnasium.
The single-elimination playoffs were supposed to start last Oct. 27 but was scrapped following a surge of local COVID-19 case on neighboring Saipan.
TABA president Christopher SN King, who is coordinating the league, said the semifinals between No. 1 seed Team Kio and No. 4 Team CNMI and No. 2 Devil Dog Warriors vs. No. 3 Rampage will finally push through tonight.
The first game between Team Kio and Team CNMI is set at 6pm, while the second game will feature Team Rampage against Team Marines Devil Dogs at 8pm.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the finals between the semifinal winners and the battle for third between the losers will be played on Friday, Dec. 3. It will be followed by trophy presentation. King reminded everyone watching the games to follow COVID-19 protocols.
King thanked the players, coaching staff, and the basketball-loving community on Tinian for their understanding and patience. He also extended his gratitude to officials of TABA, Tinian Amateur Sports Association, and tourney statisticians and referees.
Team Kio finished the double-elimination round with a perfect 14-0 win-loss card. The unbeaten record came as bittersweet as the ongoing season also saw them lose team namesake Kioni Sablan from cancer. Sablan is also the brother of mainstays Dustin, Bing, Paka, and Kim King.
Marines Devil Dogs came in second with an 11-3 record, followed by Rampage at 10-4. Team CNMI caught the last bus to the semifinals after wounding up with 5-9 in the team standings. It actually finished tied with RNV, but edged the former on a tiebreak.
Head-to-head, Team CNMI beat RNV, 76-53, in the first round last Sept. 17. RNV exacted its vengeance last Oct. 20 with a 76-75 nipping of Team CNMI in the second round. The results of both matches gave Team CNMI a plus 12 quotient. Aside from RNV, also missing out on the postseason were FPA Power Builders (4-10), SMA Flyers (4-10), and Navy KO’BEE’s (3-11).
