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San Antonio wins as Rotary returns
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Posted on Jul 26 2005
The 2005 Saipan Rotary Club Summer Youth Basketball League returned to action Monday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
With Mother Nature finally giving the 15-year-old indoor facility some respite, San Antonio and Matansa Sparks were able to square off with the former able to keep its squeaky clean record with a 61-54 triumph.
San Antonio started cautiously against a dangerous Matansa team led by Kagman High School phenom Mario Patrinus and IYVBL alumnus James Camacho.
With coach Ray Duenas not getting much production from his regular starting five, the diminutive San Antonio mentor went to his bench and that proved just what the doctor ordered, as his team pulled away and was able to enjoy a much more comfortable 39-27 advantage at the half.
But the Sparks were not done by a long shot, with Patrinus, Camacho, and Jonathan Salas hitting their stride in the second half, the team from the northern part of the island made its push and gave the team from Saipan’s southern tip some nervous moments.
San Antonio, however, remained steady and clutch shooting from the likes of Josh Sablan, Ernest Duenas, and Robert Palacios made the outcome of the ballgame beyond doubt.
Sablan led San Antonio with 15 points, while Palacios and Duenas added nine and seven points in support.
Patrinus matched Sablan’s 15 markers, while Camacho and Salas chipped in 11 and 10 in the losing cause.
The return of the 18-and-under league was not the only good news Monday. Division of Sports Recreation officer Joe Lizama said Railing Pacific, the much-maligned contractor for repairs of the gym, was busy fixing the gym’s leaking roof Monday morning.
He said hopefully dripping rainwater from the roof and water puddles forming on the court because of it would now be a thing of the past after the patch-up job done by the company.
San Antonio 61 – J. Sablan 15, R. Palacios 9, Duenas 7, Maratita 6, Basa 5, B. Sablan 4, Pangelinan 4, T. Palacios 4, Blas 3, M. Sablan 2, Babauta 2.
Sparks 54 – Patrinus 15, Camacho 11, Salas 10, Diaz 7, Iguel 3, Benjamin 2, Deleon Guerrero 2, De Gracia 2, Ulloa 2.
Scoring by halves: 39-27, 61-54.
Referees: Dado Vistal and Jess Pacheco.
