PTI still looking for Lucky 9

Win No. 9 seems to be elusive for PTI, as its game against Aguaguat in the Inaugural PTI Inter-Government/Business Basketball League Monday night was suspended due to a power outage at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

PTI holds an 8-1 record, sharing the top spot with Northern Marianas College. It attempted to nail win No. 9 after absorbing its first loss at the hands of NMC, 87-82, when it faced Department of Public Works/Procurement & Supply last week.
But the power went off with less than four minutes left in the game and with PTI leading at 78-63, preventing the team from securing its ninth win.

PTI suffered the same fate Monday night when power outage forced the suspension of its game against Aguaguat with the former leading, 87-65.

League coordinator Joey Dela Cruz said the continuation of the Aguaguat-PTI game will be played before the start of the playoffs, which were supposed to begin this week, but would be moved to next month due to the rolling power outages.

Dela Cruz said regular season games maybe extended until the second week of September due to the unpredictable power outages.
Edsel Mendoza was leading PTI against Aguaguat, as he had already scored 22 points. He made PTI’s last basket—a triple—when the power went off with 6:43 remaining in the match.

Three other players had scored in double figures for PTI. Kelvin Fitial had made 13, Elmer Esdrelon had drilled 12, and Mike Watanabe had contributed 10.

Bryan Sablan was having a good offensive night for Aguaguat, as he had nailed 34 points, including seven triples.

Jason Sablan had fired 16 points and was the only other Aguaguat player to score in double figures, causing the team to trail by 18-points.

Aguaguat led after the first quarter, 20-17, with Bryan Sablan hitting his shots early and PTI missing its top gunners.

Esdrelon, Fitial, and Mendoza came into the game in the second quarter, and made their presence felt, combining for 26 of PTI’s 34 second-period points to put their team in the lead, 51-37.

Aguaguat cut the lead to 10 at the end of the third canto, 60-70, with Jason and Bryan Sablan joining forces to keep their team afloat. Bryan scored 13 in the third, while Jason chipped in six.

But PTI began pulling away anew in the fourth period with Fitial starting the quarter with a triple, Bruce Berline getting several undergoal stabs, and Mendoza hitting two more triples in the next plays before the game was suspended.

The second match between NMC and defending champion Autonomous was also called off.

NMC is battling the pennant with PTI. If NMC sweeps its last three games, it will take the pennant even if PTI wins its last two matches.