D’Fixers, MBI enter semis

Top seeds Diamond Fixers and Micronsian Brokers Inc. barged into the semifinals of the Saipan Ice & Water Co., Inc. 20th Anniversary Basketball League Tuesday.

Diamond Fixers ran their win streak to eight games and remained undefeated in the season with a 95-75 rout of cellar dweller Boholanos in the second game at the Construction and Materials Supply Basketball Court.

The pennant champions asserted themselves right from the get-go and raced to a 24-10 lead on the shoulders of Francis Rebuyon and Kevin Aldan, who scored eight and six points in the opening quarter.

Diamond Fixers continued to shoot the lights out of the outdoor court, getting contributions from six different players as their lead ballooned to 41-24 at the break.

Rebuyon and Aldan then assumed the scoring cudgels in the third, combining for more than half of Diamond Fixers’ third-quarter output to put their team up 69-48 heading into the fourth and final quarter.

Rotary league standout Rowell Aranda tried to rally his team back in the closing 10 minutes, as he erupted for 18 points but his monster effort came to no avail as Diamond Fixers coasted to the 20-point win.

Rebuyon finished with 24 and Aldan 18 to lead Diamond Fixers, while Aranda got game-high honors with 35 points in the loss.

MBI, meanwhile, got 32 points Elbyn Cecilia as the No. 2 seed after the first round advanced with a 71-59 triumph against MDX Amateur Radio Club in the first game.

Jeff Garcia and John Penalosa backstopped Cecilia with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

John Llagas had 14 points to lead MDX, which played minus high-scoring slotman Badong Camacho. Veterans Bong Malasarte and Giovannie Pardinan added 12 points apiece in a losing stand.

The playoffs of the Saipan Ice league resumes tonight with Marianas Water taking on Subway in the opener and host Saipan Ice squaring off against Diplomats in the second game.

On Monday, Diplomats got the No. 3 seed in the playoffs after beating Saipan Ice 75-66 also at the CMS Court. The loss relegated Saipan Ice to the sixth seed and a match up with the Diplomats.

Tuesday
First Game
MBI 71 – Cecilia 32, Garcia 11, Penalosa 10, Alvarez 9, Gayo 7, Santiago 2.
MDX 59 – Llagas 14, Malasarte 12, Pardinan 12, Salas 9, Pablo 6, Licop 5, Untalan 1.
Scoring by quarters: 14-12, 31-23, 46-34, 71-59.

Second Game
Diamond Fixers 95 – Rebuyon 24, Aldan 18, Opone 16, Lauron 13, Montano 10, Peleno 6, Hernandez 4, Gabriel 2, Arenas 2.
Boholanos 75 – Aranda 35, Alfonso 11, Castro 10, Badilles 7, Miday 4, Rosauro 4, Estrosas 4.
Scoring by quarters: 24-10, 41-24, 69-48, 95-75.

Monday
Diplomats 75 – De Belen 18, Aglubat 12, Guzman 11, Agbanlog 9, Canlas 8, Pineda 7, Limpin 5, Fulgencio 2, Hilario 2.
Saipan Ice 66 – Samson 17, Lopez 16, Balarao 13, Abadilla 8, Dela Torre 5, Sabilla 4, Mariano 2, Carreon 1.
Scoring by quarters: 15-12, 33-26, 52-43, 75-66.