Four bouts, one forfeit in Masters weekend action

Five games were scheduled over the past weekend in the ongoing Masters Basketball League at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, and while one team was not able to suit up enough players to take the court, eight other teams managed to give fans something to cheer about.

In Friday’s opener, Pepsi got huge offensive performances from veteran forward Danny Bicera, Manny Sitchon, and Tony Sablan to squeeze past a determined Legends II squad, 81-70, in the 45-and-over action.

Pepsi got off on the right foot and posted a five-point breathing room, 17-12, after one period, with Bicera and Sitchon combining for 14 points to spearhead the cast.

Pepsi saw their lead shrink after the Legends put up a better fight in the second quarter, but Bicera, Sablan, and Sitchon went back to work at the start of the second half , combining for all but two of Pepsi’s points while helping the team pad their lead to eight points, 54-46.

The Legends did their best in trying to stage a comeback in the final period, breaking loose for 24 points, but their effort came to no avail as Pepsi also broke into high-scoring mode and lit up the scoreboards for 27 points to close with the 11-point victory margin.

Bicera was phenomenal for Pepsi, finishing with a game-high 34 points, while Sitchon and Sablan played well in support with 21 and 16 points.

Ray Basa and Rommy Biatrian led the Legends with 15 points apiece, while Jun Miday and Dave Demapan added 13 and 11 points.

In the second game, Sabungero fought off a charging Natibu team with solid play in the second half to take home a 90-76 victory.

Natibu led 27-25 after the first period and was down by just a point, 45-46, as slashing forward George Masga relived his glory days and went off for 15 points.

Sabungero then shifted gears and distanced themselves in the second half, with William Upone making his presence felt and scoring 12 of Sabungero’s first 17 points in the third period. Upone added another field goal, scoring all but six points for Sabungero, which led 67-61 heading into the payoff period.

While Sabungero had extra fuel to burn in the final period, Natibu ran out of gas and began to fall farther back.

Upone finished with 25 points to lead Sabungero, while Ed Palma and Mike Surima added 20 and 10 points.

Masga led all scorers with 34 points while forward Jack Palacios contributed 18 points for Natibu.

Saturday’s action got off to a slow start as Old Aces suffered a blow after only suiting up four players for their bout against the Legends in the 35-and-over league, resulting in the Legends grabbing a free win.

Shortly after, Pepsi’s 35-and-over squad managed to hand Verizon its first loss with a hard-earned 60-55 victory.

Pepsi grabbed an early advantage, and each time Verizon closed the gap, Pepsi managed to pull the right strings to pull ahead.

Pepsi led after each quarter, as their balanced attack was too much for Verizon to overcome.

Forward John Diaz and guard Warren Villegas led Pepsi with 15 and 13 points, while bull-strong Bruce Berline and Jeff Warfield pumped in 12 and 10 points.

Playmaker Frank Iglecias led Verizon with 14, points, while Bicera and Felix Palacios added 13 and 12 points. Elmer Pineda also chipped in 10 points.

In the weekend’s final bout, the NMC-Heinz and Dave Proa had five cagers finish in double figures to beat the Old Aces in the 45-and-over league.

Proa dominated the bout, and even posted a 30-point lead at the end of the third period, 73-43.

Poland Yamada and Bobot Alegre led the charge with 20 and 18 points, while Mario Alegre and Ray MacDuff supported with 17 and 14 points. Longtime basketball mastermind Rufino Aguon also pumped in 12 points.

Friday
First Game

Pepsi 81—Bicera 34, Sitchon 21, Sablan 16, Lebria 6, Nepaial 3.

Legends II 70—Basa 15, Baintrian 15, Miday 13, Demapan 11, Lopez 9, Villagan 4, Takai 2, Pangelinan 1.

Scoring by quarters: 17-12, 32-29, 54-46, 81-70.

Referees: Dado Vistal and Jess Pacheco.

Second Game

Sabungero 90—Upone 25, Palma 20, Dickhill 12, Sorima 10, Pambid 8, Pe 6, Rebuyon 4, Dela Torre 2, Peleno 2, Villegas 1.

Natibu 76—G. Masga 34, Ja. Palacios 18, Jo. Palacios 8, Diaz 7, O. Masga 5, Guerrero 2.

Scoring by quarters: 25-27, 46-45, 67-61, 90-76.

Referees: Dado Vistal and Noel Delos Santos.

Saturday
Second Game

Pepsi 60—Diaz 15, Villegas 13, Berline 12, warfield 10, Gomez 6, Nepaial 2, Billamon 2.

Verizon 55—Iglecias 14, Bicera 13, Palacios 12, E. Pineda 10, Cabrera 4, O. Pineda 2.

Scoring by quarters: 12-9, 23-21, 43-39, 60-55.

Referees: Jess Pacheco and Dado Vistal.

Third Game

Proa 87—Yamada 20, B. Alegre 18, M. Alegre 17, Macduff 14, Aguon 12, David 4, Johnson 2.

Old Aces 71—Gabriel 36, Garcia 18, Aldan 6, Coldeen 5, Al 4, Larry 3.

Scoring by quarters: 23-16, 56-25, 73-43, 87-71.

Referees: Abner Venus and Jess Pacheco.