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Mobil invitational revs up Feb. 15
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Posted on Jan 26 2005
Two teams have merged and two more are coming aboard for the 2005 Mobil Oil Marianas Co-ed Invitational Basketball League, which season is slated to begin on Feb. 15 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Originally scheduled for Jan. 11, the islands’ only co-ed basketball league was postponed for several weeks but now welcomes new team McDonald’s and guest team CNMI women’s national team for the upcoming season.
Additionally, league pioneers Tan Holdings Corp. and Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach have merged and will be fielding a united front for the 2005 cage wars.
The rest of the participating teams are Commonwealth Utilities Corp., Microl-Toyota, Pacific Development Inc., Aqua Resort Club, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Pacific Island Aviation, and host Mobil Oil Marianas.
League coordinator Abner Venus, who represents Microl-Toyota, said all 11 teams should now prepare for the start of the league next month.
“The new season is less than a month away and all participating teams should start preparing for it. We are also happy to welcome McDonald’s and the women’s team coached by Donald [Blondin] to the Mobil league family,” he said.
Games of the Mobil invitational are set for Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Oleai Sports Complex venue. The first game is scheduled at 6:30pm with the second game expected to start at 8pm or immediately after the first game.
Venus said the league would have a single-round elimination, where the Top 4 teams advance to the Final Four.
In the semifinals, the top seed goes up against the fourth seed and the No. 2 and No. 3 teams square off. Victors of both contests advance to the winner-take-all championship.
Aqua Resort emerged as champion of the Mobil invitational after defeating Mobil in a winner-take-all finals match, 103-93, last May 23 at the Ada Gym.
The win snapped a 13-year title draught for the Achague-based hotel. The Mobil crown was previously worn by THC (2001), Microl (2002), and PDI (2003).
For more information on the 2005 Mobil Oil Marianas Invitational Co-ed Basketball League, please call Venus at 287-5911 or Mobil’s Jojo Dadivas at 483-3363.
