Sablan, Barcinas take charge in Rotary

Young guns Josh Sablan and Dan Barcinas are back again and picking off where they left off last season.

69ers I scoring machine Sablan made a return to the hardcourt this season and is most definitely making his presence felt at the offensive end. He finds himself in familiar grounds, leading the league in scoring after four weeks of competition.

Sablan starred in all of his club’s three games, soaring for a total of 99 points for an average of 33 points per contest in leading the 69ers to a perfect 3-0 record.

Barcinas, for his part, spearheads defending champion Ol’Aces in a different way.

Although very capable of taking the scoring role, Barcinas has found success in being a team leader through a complete effort on the court.

Not so often does a guard lead the league in blocks, which is what makes his league leading 14 swats sweeter than ever. He has also proven to be a sultan of swipe as he leads the league with 36 steals, and also ranks second with 23 assists—one shy of the league leader.

Among the notables having solid scoring starts are Luis Reyes and L.J. Reyes of the Chalan Kanoa Saints, Rowell Aranda, Kevin Cequena, and Julian Ranas of the San Antonio Sixers I, Bill Kaipat and Pete Iguel of the G-Rollers I, Shawn Fujihira of the 69ers, and Quincy Johnson of Makos.

Luis Reyes currently ranks second in the league with a 26.3 scoring average after pumping in 105 points in four games, while Aranda follows with a third-best average of 25.3 point per outing after sinking 101 point in four games.

After going off for 114 points in four games, Cequena is ranked fourth a 22.8 average, while Ranas rounds up the Top Five with an average of 22.6 points per game.

The Top 10 is capped by Fujihira (22ppg), Kaipat (19ppg), L.J. Reyes (19ppg), Johnson (18.8ppg), and Iguel (18.2ppg).

Mike Reyes of the Spark currently sits on top of the rebound category with 58, while Jack Lizama of the Sixers I and Wan Joo Jung of Makos follow with 46 and 45. Sixers I veteran J.R. Ngeskebei and fellow Sparks cager Juan Iguel are next in line with 41 and 33, while Orrin Ogumoro of the Ol’Aces and Zack Diaz of the Sparks hauled 31 and 30. The rest of the leaders include Bernard Jones (29) and Raffy San Nicolas of the Sparks (28) and Joe Acosta of the G-Rollers I (28).

Not far behind Barcinas in the blocks category are George Dalang of the G-Rollers III and Ngeskebei with 10 and 8, while G-Rollers I slotman Oscar Ada, although gone for the season, still has his name in the leader board with 7 blocks. Ol’Aces forward Leeroy Kani also has 7 swats while Bill Babauta of the 69ers II and Sixers II machine James Kintz have 6 blocks apiece. Adrian Echon of Sixers I, Don Teregeyo of G-Rollers II, and Ferdinand Palacios of Sixers II each have 5.

Echon and Makos captain Paul Magcalas are currently tied behind Barcinas in the steals department with 30 apiece, while the Reyes brothers follow, each with 24. Ranas (20), Ben Jones Jr. of the Sparks (18), Lester Babauta of the G-Rollers I (18), Lizama (15), and G-Rollers I guard Joemar Tumaquip (15) round up the leaders.

For his part, Ranas holds a slim lead over Barcinas in the assists category, dishing 24 passes that led to scores. Echon and Magcalas are slightly behind Barcinas with 21 and 20, and Cequena ranks fifth with 16. Junior Nationals cager Chariss Ruluked was the only female to join the stamp her name in the leader board with 14 assists. Other leaders include Ben Jones Jr. (13), Jose Maday of Makos (12), Ngeskebei (10), and Adrian Flores (8).