Marianas Water make it two in a row, Diplomats earn first win

Marianas Water won its second game in as many chances, while the Diplomats broke into the win column as action in the Saipan Ice & Water Co, Inc. 20th Anniversary Basketball Tournament continued last Thursday at the Construction Materials Supply Basketball Court in Gualo Rai.

In the curtain opener, sharpshooter Sonny Lerio led four Marianas Water cagers in double figures that allowed his team to keep pace with Diamond Fixers for the league lead with an 83-75 victory over Subway.

Marianas Water came out firing on all cylinders and quickly grabbed control of the bout by outscoring the opposition, 24-13, in the opening period, with Lerio spearheading the charge with 13 points.

Michael Cabanas joined the scoring spree and punched in eight points, while Lerio added another six points to his name in the second canto as Marianas Water continued to have the upperhand, again putting up more points on the board while holding their opponents in check to see their lead balloon to 16 points at the break, 43-27.

Marianas Water padded their lead to 18 points, 66-48, after three quarters, but had a tough time closing out the match as Subway put up a desperation charge in crunch time.

Bong Sese ignited a late-game rally for Subway, and little by little, the six-inch and foot-long sandwich providers whittled down the lead. The effort came a little too late, though, as Marianas Water managed to close the game still ahead by a comfortable margin.

Lerio finished with 21 points, while Cabanas and Ruter Dimegillio added 16 points apiece. Edgar Villanueva also chipped in with 11 points for Marianas Water.

Sese led all scorers with 33 points while Darius Salvani pumped in 20.

In the second game, the Diplomats picked up their first win with a 75-69 victory over MDX.

Edwin Guzman and Emil de Belen went off for 18 and 17 points, while Lawrence Borja and Eric Pineda added 14 and 10 points to lead the Diplomats.

Badong Camacho and Mark Llagas paced MDX with 28 and 17 points.

FIRST GAME

Marianas Water 83—Lerio 21, Cabanas 16, Dimegillio 16, Villanueva 11, Ojeda 9, Suave 7, Garciano 2, Divina 1.

Subway 75—Sese 33, Salvani 20, Musngi 6, Nucuum 5, Alvarez 4, Felix 3, Kalaw 2, Domingo 2.

Scoring by quarters: 24-13, 43-27, 66-48, 83-75.

SECOND GAME

Diplomats 75—Guzman 18, de Belen 17, Borja 14, Pineda 10, Fulgencio 6, Tan 6, Canlas 2, Agbanlog 2.

MDX 69—Camacho 28, Llgas 17, Pablo 7, Diyco 6, Malasarte 5, Licop 3, Canedo 3.

Scoring by quarters: 18-12, 35-27, 56-51, 75-69.