HANMI Cup finals set this Sunday

Pacific Islands Club has a score to settle against top seed Fiesta-Grand Hotel in Sunday’s finals of the 2nd Annual HANMI Cup Inter-Hotel Basketball League at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Fiesta-Grand and PIC will face off in the HANMI Cup one-game finals on Sunday, April 13, at 4:30pm after the 3pm battle for third between Hyatt Regency Saipan and Aqua Resort Club.

The game was originally scheduled on April 6 but was moved on April 13 to give way for the three-day Jam Attack, which crowned its champions last Sunday.

Second-ranked PIC lost twice to Fiesta-Grand in the elimination round and would like once and for all beat their opponents in the final game of the season to complete their own title bid.

PIC and Fiesta-Grand earned the first two finals berths after winning their semifinal games against last year’s finalists Aqua Resort Club, which won the title last year, and Hyatt Regency Saipan.

Fiesta-Grand is riding on an 11-game winning streak, which earned them the pennant, dating back from an 87-77 clipping of Saipan World Resort last Jan. 6. They have not lost since suffering from an 86-102 crushing at the hands of Hyatt Regency last Dec. 9.

That winning streak gave Fiesta-Grand a league-best 11-1 elimination round record and 12-1 including its nail-biting 118-116 semifinal win over Hyatt last April Fools.

PIC earned the second finals berth after a 79-70 upset win over deposed champion Aqua Resort.

Fiesta-Grand will again rely on its dynamic duo, Ryan Sanciangco and Elmer Esdrelon, when it faces PIC for the one-game finals on Sunday.

Sanciangco erupted for a season-high 41 points in leading Fiesta-Grand to its victory against Hyatt, while Esdrelon provided scoring support finishing with 32 points.

William Opone is also expected to pour in the points, while Edilberto Carino will also be a marked man coming off the bench.

PIC is also deadly with their inside-outside combination composed of forwards Butch Kaipat and Derrick Tudela and their three-guard combination of James Abuy, Marino Pungilug, and Raymond Tolentino.

Abuy led PIC’s scoring in its win over Aqua Resort with Kaipat and Pungilug giving the needed offensive support. Tudela and Tolentino finished in single digits but are expected to bounce back when they face Fiesta-Grand on Sunday.

Titans Chivas Life, PTI, Coca-Cola Bottlers Micronesia, and Western Sales Trading Company are sponsoring the league.