Fiesta-Grand, PIC advance to finals

Fiesta-Grand Hotel and Pacific Islands Club, which finished 1-2 in the standings, made sure there would be new teams that would play in the 2nd Annual HANMI Cup Inter-Hotel Basketball League championship after vanquishing last year’s finalists in Sunday’s playoffs at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Fiesta-Grand, which won the pennant with a league-best 11-1 slate, eked out a nail-biting 118-116 win over Hyatt Regency Saipan, while PIC dethroned the back-to-back title seeking Aqua Resort Club, 79-70.

Fiesta-Grand and PIC will face-off in the HANMI Cup one-game final on Sunday, April 6, at 4:30pm after the 3pm battle for third between Hyatt and Aqua Resort.

The league is being sponsored by Titans Chivas Life, PTI, Coca-Cola Bottlers Micronesia, and Western Sales Trading Company.

Elmer Esdrelon and Ryan Sanciangco played the heroes role for Fiesta-Grand, which nearly blew a double-digit spread in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Fiesta-Grand led by as much as 14 points in the final period but failed to stop a furious Hyatt rally led by their own dynamic duo of Edmark Mendoza and Mike Umali, who combined for 22 markers.

Fiesta-Grand was still leading at 116-114 in the final 30 seconds when Hyatt scored on a Magno Abaya short stab to tie the game. Fiesta-Grand failed to convert at the other end giving Hyatt the chance to win the game and a return trip to the finals.

But Bernard Aquino blew their chance for an upset when he lost ball possession from the quick hands of Esdrelon, who then made an outlet pass to a streaking Sanciangco to score the winning basket.

Sanciangco led all scorers, erupting for a season-high 41 points in leading Fiesta-Grand to victory. He had 33 points in the first three quarters where Fiesta-Grand enjoyed several double-digit leads.

Sanciangco’s previous season-high was 40 in a 110-96 clipping of Hafadai Beach Hotel on Feb. 27.

Esdrelon provided scoring support to Sanciangco, finishing with 32 points while William Opone tallied 18 more. Edilberto Carino came off the bench and chipped in 11 markers.

Mendoza and Umali combined for more than half of Hyatt’s points scoring 38 and 26 apiece, while Steven Tenorio added 15 points with Dexter Dillay and Magno contributing 10 each.

Visibly missing in the Hyatt offensive rotation were guards Krisgel Arreza and Aquino, who both had an off night after being limited to seven and six points, respectively. Aquino’s points also came in the second half.

In the first game, James Abuy scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to help PIC foil Aqua Resort’s title-retention bid, 79-70.

PIC won eventhough bull-strong Derrick Tudela was held to a season-low six points as Butch Kaipat and Marino Pungilug took over the scoring chores for the San Antonio hotel. Kaipat and Pungilug finished with 17 and 15 points.

Glenn Aquino had a season-high 23 points, while Darwin Barbo added 19 more but they could not tow the Achugao hotel to another finals appearance.

Ziddy Johannes chipped in 14 points while Gil Gapor had 10 markers also for Aqua Resort, which only had five players scoring with Claud Calvo ending up with four points.

Pacific Islands Club 79 – Abuy 28, Kaipat 17, Pungilug 15, Lee 6, Tudela 6, Tolentino 5, Fernandez 2.

Aqua Resort Club 70 – Aquino 23, Barbo 19, Johannes 14, Gapor 10, Calvo 4.

Scoring by quarters: 17-14, 40-33, 60-50, 79-70.

Referees: Gilbert Espinosa and Arnold Mesa.

Fiesta-Grand Hotel 118 – Sanciangco 41, Esdrelon 32, Opone 18, Carino 11, David 8, Jinang 4, Ong 2, Sabino 2.

Hyatt Regency Saipan 116 – Mendoza 38, Umali 26, Tenorio 15, Dillay 10, Magno 10, Arreza 7, Aquino 6, Vargas 4.

Scoring by quarters: 27-22, 49-48, 94-80, 118-116.

Referees: Eric Artillaga and Jess Pabula.