Proa, FGC advance to semifinals

 Proa and FGC advanced to the Garapan Basketball League-IT&E Cup’ single-elimination semifinals after deposing separate opponents Thursday night at the Garapan Basketball Court.

Proa bolted past Andhok’s, 84-54, in the curtain raiser, while FGC bested Ol’Aces, 91-82, in the late pairing.

The playoffs continue on Sunday with Blue Haus-Satbahi taking on Mobil at 7pm. After Sunday’s game, league officials will conduct a raffle to determine the pairings for the semifinals.

After the matchups are determined, the semifinals are slated to tip off Monday night at 6:15pm and 8pm.

Game 1 of the best-of-three finals is set for Wednesday at 7pm.

The regular season awards will be presented during halftime of Wednesday’s game.

Proa 84, Andocks 54

Proa got right down to business from the tip off and quickly built a 21-10 lead in the opening 10 minutes.

Pete Iguel took the reins for Proa with six points to go with an array of nifty assists.

Andhok’s’ offense picked up a little in the second quarter, but its defense simply could not make a stop as Proa jumped ahead, 48-27, at halftime.

Iguel again led Proa in the period with seven markers sprinkled with a healthy dose of mixed support.

Then after the break, Proa came out and planted the dagger in Andhok’s early, limiting its opponent to just seven points in the third canto as it amassed a daunting 68-35 margin with 10 minutes left in regulation.

Alex Lauron was Andhok’s only glimmer of hope; he scored the first 15 points for the team in the second half and points were few and far between from anyone else.

Throughout the match, Andhok’s shooters never found their marks and though Lauron fought hard down low for some put-backs, Proa’s offense was simply too much to handle on the other end.

Proa’s Joshua Sablan delivered 10 points in the third quarter surge. He finished with 17 to lead Proa, while Lauron scrambled for a game-high 20 in defeat.

FGC 91, Ol’Aces 82

In the late match, Ol’Aces worked out an early 18-25 advantage in the first quarter as Peter Camacho and Romeo Iginoef hooked up for 14 points out of the gate.

FGC managed seven the hard way, due to the physical defensive strategy put on by Ol’Aces.

FGC battled back in the second period, but still trailed by a point, 45-46, at halftime.

This time it was Ol’Aces’ Tony Diaz and Mike Olaitiman teaming up for 14 markers that helped keep their team out of the rear view. FGC sunk nine free throws in the period as Ol’Aces stuck to their guns on defense.

FGC’s Kae Bernardo opened up a can in the third period in the form of 12 points to push his team ahead, 71-64, heading into crunch time.

Unfortunately, Ol’Aces wore out the referee’s whistle early in the match, and it came back to bite them as Camacho, Olaitiman, and Iginoef were all shown the exit in the second half.

Remarkably, the shorthanded Ol’Aces drained a 3-pointer late in the third quarter and five more in the fourth, three of which by Diaz, but FGC protected the ball well enough to move on.

FGC’s Bernardo and Lerio Pagarao combined for 55 points in the match, while Ol’Aces’ Diaz led the field with 29 on the short end.

First Game

Proa 84 – Sablan 17, Iguel 15, Villacrusis 14, Barcinas 9, Rabauliman 8, Mendiola 6, Lizama 6, Babauta 4, Valdez 3, Chariton 2.

Andhok’s 54 – Lauron 20, Umali 11, Tenorio 9, Abedes 5, Montano 4, Artates 2, Llagas 2.

Scoring by quarters: 21-10, 48-27, 68-35, 84-54.

Second Game

FGC 91 – Bernardo 23, Pagarao 22, Basila 14, Yabut 11, Santos 8, Babauta 5, David 4, Lerio 3.

Ol’Aces 82 – T. Diaz 29, E. Diaz 12, Camacho 12, Rangamar 10, Olaitiman 10, Iginoef 9.

Scoring by quarters: 18-25, 45-46, 71-64, 91-82.