Its Verizon vs Proa in MBL finals

Verizon kept its title hopes alive and earned the right to face Heinz and Dave Proa in the Masters Basketball League championship game after eliminating Pepsi, 79-72, Saturday night at the Northern Marianas College Gymnasium.

Both teams showcased their determination to get a shot at Proa as the two were neck and neck for most parts of the game.

Pepsi managed to hold the early slim advantage, taking a 19-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of play, with big men Richard Brostrom and Bruce Berline taking much of the offensive load and combining for 11 points.

The Tony Sablan-coached Verizon squad returned the favor in the second period and took the lead before heading into the break, 32-31. Duplicating Pepsi’s first-quarter push behind its frontcourt duo, Verizon leaned on the hands of Ed Cosino, who turned back the hands of time and put the rock through the hoops on five straight occasions to pump in 10 points during their charge.

Cosino continued to put up the numbers, adding another eight points in the third period, which saw Verizon pad their lead courtesy of a 24-16 run that resulted in a nine-point advantage for Verizon, 56-47. The team was ahead by double digits after guard Frank Iglecias knocked down consecutive baskets, 50-39, but Pepsi was able to close the gap just before time expired to head into the payoff period in a good position for a comeback.

With momentum in their corner and Pepsi failing to convert on several inside shot attempts, Verizon pushed their lead back to double digits and never looked back.

Elmer Pineda came up with eight big points in the last 10 minutes, Cosino added seven more, and Verizon worked the clock to their favor, taking many valuable seconds off the game clock before attempting a shot in hopes of closing in on their finals ticket.

Brostrom and Warren Villegas tried to bring Pepsi back in the late goings, nailing a couple of triples and hitting several shots in the paint, but in the end, their rally came a little short.

Cosino led Verizon with 27 points, while Alex Ocampo and Pineda finished with 18 and 10 points.

Brostrom paced Pepsi with 20 points, while Villegas and Berline contributed 16 and 11 points, respectively.

Verizon meets Proa for all the marbles this Saturday at 6pm. Due to its perfect record in the double elimination playoffs, Proa holds a twice-to-beat advantage. If Verizon wins on Saturday, a winner-take-all bout will be played on Sunday.

Verizon 79—Cosino 27, Ocampo 18, Pineda 10, Bicera 8, Iglecias 6, Gamboa 3.

Pepsi 72—Brostrom 20, Villegas 16, Berline 11, Warfield 7, Raho 6, Valencia 6, Gomez 4, Yamada 2.

Scoring by quarters: 17-19, 32-31, 56-47, 79-72.

Referees: Arnold Mesa and Jess Pabula.