San Antonio enters MDX semis

San Antonio/Gene’s Barber barged into the semifinals of the 2011 MDX Amateur Radio Club Inter-Village Friendship League after routing San Roque/Morales, 82-66, yesterday at the Civic Center Basketball Court in Susupe.

San Antonio’s semis foe will be the winner of the Susupe/MDX-San Vicente Saints tiff, which was the last quarterfinal match played in the weekend, but results were unavailable at press time.

The Danny Bicera-coached San Antonio led from start to finish and withstood San Roque’s late rally to book a Final Four ticket. San Antonio led by as much as 21, 70-49, off Pedro Castro’s five straight points, before Noel David anchored a 12-2 rally to threaten a come back. David scored seven points in that run, cutting San Antonio’s lead to 11, 72-61, with about three minutes left in the game.

However, that was the closest San Roque could get, as San Antonio converted six straight points off three fastbreak plays to seal the win.

Jack Aranda top-scored for San Roque with 17, while Jarmark De Guzman and Castro chipped in 16 and 10, respectively.

Aranda nailed San Antonio’s first five points and added two more free throws at the end of the first period to put his team on top, 17-10. San Antonio went on to slowly pull away in the next three quarters, capitalizing on its speed and athletic advantages. San Antonio has players suiting up for various youth leagues on Saipan, while San Roque is composed of a mixed of recreational and B league cagers.

San Roque tried to keep up with San Antonio’s fast-paced game in the second half, but the gamble backfired, as the former committed more turnovers than fastbreak baskets.

In the other playoff game, Chalan Kanoa/Fong’s Bakery downed Chalan Kiya/Loving Hands to notch the first semis slot.

The duo of Ezra Caro and Lawrence Rollon did most of the damage for Chalan Kanoa, which will be facing As Lito/Chow Queen in the semifinals this Sunday. Caro had a game-high 26 points, while Rollon added 23.

J.R. Mina also helped Chalan Kanoa’s cause, drilling seven of his 11 markers in the final canto.

Caro and Rollon combined for 13 points for Chalan Kanoa in the first period for a 21-18 edge. The game remained close in the next two quarters, but Chalan Kiya never came out of top at the end of each quarter, as it failed to neutralize Caro and Rollon.

Chalan Kanoa/Fong’s Bakery 85[/B] – Caro 26, Rollon 23, Mina 11, Tobias 8, Lerio 7, Santos 4, Bernardo 2. Agbanlog 2.
[B] Chalan Kiya/Loving Hands 75[/B] – Ja. Bahillo 17, Kintz 12, Tabora 8, Je. Bahillo 8, Geli 4, Tuwon 4, Buhay 4, Pacson 2, Illahi 2.
[B] Scoring by quarters:[/B] 21-18, 38-37, 62-56, 85-75.

San Antonio/Gene’s Barber 82[/B] – Aranda 17, De Guzman 16, Castro 10, Ne. Salem 9, Palacios 8, Alegre 7, Ni. Salem 6, Mariano 2.
[B] San Roque/Morales 66[/B] – David 18, Miranda 15, Hernandez 11, Danipog 7, Capalad 6, Aguilar 3, Diyco 2, Cabaddu 2.