PIC nips Century/Shirley’s; Hyatt finally wins

Players and supporters of Pacific Islands Club gather for a group photo after the opening ceremony of the Inter-Hotel caging last month at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Darwin Barbo scored 22 points for PIC, including the team’s last three markers to gain their second win in three games. Shirley’s absorbed its second loss also in three matches after committing an error in the closing seconds and failing to put up a decent shot at the buzzer.

Barbo’s last field goal kept PIC in the lead, 74-73, and Century/Shirley’s bungled a chance to grab the upper hand when it turned the ball over and committed a foul after the error. Barbo then had a split to make it a two-point cushion, which PIC retained at the buzzer as Shirley’s ran out of time to pull up for a shot.

PIC escaped with only a two-point winning margin despite being heavily favored to win the match with its talent-laden pool of players. Besides Barbo, PIC has big man Bart Demapan, promising newcomer Jake Quitugua, shooter James Abuy, quarterback Jack Aranda, and wingman Ray Babauta on its roster.

Abuy hit two early triples, while Barbo scored six points to lift PIC to an 18-12 lead after the first canto. Century/Shirley’s then inched in closer at halftime, 31-32, behind the seven straight points of John Jugos and the combined eight markers of Erick Dela Rosa and lefty gunner Fradel Sedillo.

Shirley remained afloat in the third, down by only two, as Jugos continued to hit his outsides shots and had 10 in that quarter, while Rommel Usi contributed one triple and six markers. PIC hung on to the shaky lead after the third canto with Abuy drilling his third triple of the night. The match remained close in the fourth canto with Barbo deciding to take over, hitting seven markers in the final period to help PIC slips past the hard-fighting Century/Shirley’s.

Jugos led Century/Shirley’s’ losing cause with his 20 points, while Sedillo chipped in 16. Quitugua and Babauta also finished in twin digits, 13 and 11, respectively, to back up Barbo, while Demapan added nine, including two free throws in the home stretch.

Meanwhile, Hyatt Regency Saipan barged into the win column after dropping its first three games, following an 80-74 victory over Kanoa Resirt (1-2).

Hyatt played better in the second half to bounce back from a double-digit deficit in the second quarter. Hyatt fell behind past the halfway mark of the second period, 35-25, but turned the tables on Kanoa in the third canto, 49-45, behind the seven points of Sahj Hossain. Hossain also provided the finishing touches in Hyatt’s win, scoring the team’s last four points on free throws to post a game-high 30 markers. Gino Libuw also came out swinging in the majority of the final canto to foil Kanoa’s comeback bids, drilling 11 of his 17 points in the fourth frame, including a string of nine markers in that period.

First Game
Hyatt Regency 80 – Hossain 30, Libuw 17, Alipio 8, Lauron 8, Rios 6, Vargas 5, Ilemelong 3, Banghet 2.

Kanoa Resort 74 – Duenas 25, Armia 13, Usi 12, Pablo 9, Cruz 8, Villaluna 2.

Scoring by quarters: 9-15, 29-37, 49-45, 80-74.

Second Game
PIC 75 – Barbo 22, Quituga 13, Babauta 11, Demapan 9, Abuy 9, Aranda 4, Tolentino 3.

Century/Shirley’s 73 – Jugos 20, Sedillo 16, Usi 10, Dela Rosa 8, Aguilar 8, Catungal 6, Drillon 2.

Scoring by quarters: 18-12, 32-31, 54-52, 75-73.