12 qualify in final leg of Hoopfest Marianas

A Ballers Bros player, left, dribbles past a BoonkGang defender during their title game in the boys U16 division of the Saipan leg of the 3×3 Hoopfest Marianas 2017 last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Twelve teams made the grade for the final stage of the 3×3 Hoopfest Marianas 2017 after the Saipan leg of the inaugural competition concluded last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

In the boys U16 division, the qualifiers were Ballers Bros and BoonkGang, while Big B’s, Islander3rz, Warriors, and V-God earned the spots in the boys U19 age groups. Men’s open divisions’ Paki 3’s, Almost, Ol’Aces, and Niknak and women’s field’s Fab4 and HiDaze completed the roster of teams heading to the final leg, which will be held on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Civic Center Court in Susupe. The Saipan qualifiers will be joined by the winners of the Tinian and Rota competitions. Tinian had its tournament last Sunday, while Rota’s event will be held on Sept. 22 and 23.

Ballers Bros and BoonkGang moved into the final stage of the Hoopfest Marianas after advancing to the division title game last Saturday morning. Ballers Bros took the first finals berth following an 18-12 victory over D-Squad. Khristian Itaas powered Ballers Bros past D-Squad after scoring 12 points in the semis game. Stephen Bartolo added 4 points, while Drew Bayot chipped in 2. Luis Claridadas paced D-Squad with his 10 markers, while Jacody Lizama tallied the 2 other points for the losing team.

BoonkGang followed Ballers Bros to the finals after edging Young Ballers in the second semis tiff, 16-14.

Christian Bravo and Paulo Cadag teamed up in lifting BoonkGang to the victory. Cadag registered 8 points, while Bravo logged 3 of the squad’s last 4 markers and finished with 6 points. Adonis Favor also played for the BoonkGang and contributed 2 points in the team’s semis victory.

The BoonkGang-Ballers Bros title game was played last Saturday afternoon, but results of the finals were unavailable at press time.

In the men’s open division, Paki 3, Almost, the Ol’Aces, and Niknak earned tickets to the final round after surviving the quarterfinals of the 11-team field.

Almost nosed out Dark Horse in their Round of 8 tiff, 11-10. Derrick Rangamar paced Almost with his 5 points, while Ben Taisacan, Leroy Rangamar, and Carl Aldan tallied 2 markers each. Maverick Saures had 7 points for the eliminated Dark Horse.

Paki 3’s duplicated Almost’s semis stint following a 14-6 win over Rollers 2. Peter Camacho dropped 6 points to lead Paki 3’s triumph, while Vincent Taitano and Trevor Ogumoro made 4 each. Ben Lisua had 4 points to lead Rollers 2.

The Ol’Aces gained the third semis ticket in the men’s open division after routing Trilogy, 21-10. Dan Barcinas was on target against Trilogy, sizzling for 11 points, while Preston Basa backed him up, recording 8. Douglas Schmidt completes the Ol’Aces roster and scored the squad’s 2 other markers. Pete Lizama registered 5 points for Trilogy.

The Ol’Aces went on to advance to the finals after beating Niknak in the semis and the latter automatically took the division title as Paki 3 could not play in the championship game with two of its players injured.

In other results, the Warriors, V-God, Island3rz, and Big B’s marched into the final stage of the boys U19 division after eliminating their respective quarterfinal opponents.