Sixers I wins battle of San Antonio

Powerhouse Sixers I (7-0) won their seventh straight game in the 2004 Saipan Rotary Club Summer Youth Basketball League after ravaging 69ers I (5-2), 106-79, last Thursday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The victory in the first game of the scheduled doubleheader meant more than maintaining the league leadership for coach Bryan Nisperos and his boys, as the 69ers I and coach Ray Duenas also claim San Antonio as their home court.

Both teams were neck and neck in the first half with 69ers I smothering Sixers I’s usually efficient offense with their tight-guarding defense.

In addition, hotshot Josh Sablan and forward Shawn Fujihira also hit everything they threw at the basket, enabling 69ers I to play toe-to-toe with their more experienced and visibly more talented opponents.

But after a 34-all tie in the first half, Nisperos ordered his players to “just” play their game and shake off the cobwebs of their first half doldrums.

The team responded and rattled off an avalanche of points to the dismay of the 69ers and coach Duenas.

Leading the second-half surge was UFO standout and former IVYBL MVP Kevin Cequena, who exploded for 19 of points after the break.

Forwards J.R. Ngeskebei and Rowell Aranda also played much better in the second half, combining for 18 points as Sixers I finally pulled away for good.

Cequena led five Sixers I players in double figures with 27 points and 6 steals. Ngeskebei added 19 points and 9 boards, while Aranda wound up with 17 markers and 10 caroms.

Sablan was the high-point man of the ballgame, finishing with 39 points and 3 assists. Fujihira also played an exceptional game, tossing in 22 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots.

In the second game, the Chalan Kanoa Saints (4-4) scored their second straight victory at the expense of the CNMI Women’s Jr. National Team (0-7), 95-34.

Luis Reyes ran amok all four quarters of the ballgame, pumping in 39 points on top of 4 assists and 8 steals. Brother L.J. was equally productive, scoring 23 points, with four dishes, and stealing the ball four times.

The 12 points and 10 boards of Savana Stein paced the Junior Nationals.

The Rotary league resumes today with defending champion Ol’Aces taking on Makos in the opener at 5:30pm. The second game, starting at 7pm, then pits 69ers I against Garapan Rollers III.

First Game

Sixers I 106 – Cequena 27, Ngeskebei 19, Flores 17, Aranda 17, Ranas 17, Lizama 5, Echon 4.

69ers I 79 – J. Sablan 38, Fujihira 22, Congco 12, Alvarez 6, B. Sablan 2.

Scoring by halves: 34-24, 106-79.

Second Game

Chalan Kanoa Saints 95 – Lu. Reyes 39, L.J. Reyes 23, G. Iglecias 11, Manalo 8, La. Reyes 6, San Nicolas 4, Agulto 2, Ada 2.

CNMI Women’s Jr. National Team 34 – Stein 12, Cruz 6, Rios 4, Elayda 2, Diaz 2, Oiterong 2.

Scoring by halves: 48-14, 95-34.