Bench Buddies tops men’s 3×3

Bench Buddie’s Lucio Aldan, Ervin Villarin, Leo Naraja, and Eli Garcia poses with Northern Marianas Basketball Federation vice president David John Apatang and board member Mike Mercado.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Bench Buddies bounced back in the second game against Team Yolo to top the men’s open division, 21-17, of the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation’s Three vs Three Hoop Fest Tournament held over the weekend at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium of the TSL Sports Complex.

It was a 12-team double elimination format and coming off the loser’s bracket, Yolo had to win twice against the Bench Buddies to steal the division title.

However, 17-year-old senior from Saipan Southern High School Eli Garcia and company bounced back from their first game loss and took the championship trophy out of Team Yolo’s grasp. 

In the first game, carrying the momentum from their win against the Rollers in the semis, Yolo’s Shane Deleon Guerrero dominated the court, scoring 15 of their team’s 21 points. It was enough to shut down the Bench Buddies and hold them down 12 points, to win 21-12.

However, in the final and deciding game, youth trumped over experience as the Bench Buddies shut down Yolo, 21-17. Garcia put up the most points and had 12 big ones for Bench Buddies, while teammate Leo Naraja, sharpshooter from the U18 team champions Net Ripper, brought his best yet again and scored 7 points. Ervin Villarin came up with 2 points for the team.

Bench Buddies’ team captain, 17-year-old Kagman High School senior Kyu Aldan, who sat on the bench in the final game, told Saipan Tribune that in the beginning of the tournament, he saw their team as the “underdogs” and that they “were not only the smallest team but the youngest as well.”

“During the tournament we displayed great work of communication and teamwork which [led] us to the championship. It was a hard fought game against Team Yolo for the championship and we ended up falling short in the first game. At the start of the second game our team displayed hard work, chemistry, and bombing multiple shots from behind the arc. Without the teamwork and chemistry our squad has I don’t think we would have made it as far as we did,” said Aldan about his team’s performance.

Garcia, who sank in the most shots for the champions, said about the finals that their team “knew what we needed to do. We were outnumbered and the size difference was going to be a challenge. We made sure to make our shots play the way we wanted to. They were getting most of their points down in the post but we made sure to maintain the lead through our 3-point shooting…It was a great feeling after securing the championship…It felt good being able to help my team after not being able to play during the first day.”

When asked what’s next for the up-and-coming basketball stars, Aldan said that they are all looking forward to participating in the Marianas Village Tournament in September. 

Lastly, Aldan thanked “coach Joe Diaz, coach Mike Mercado, and coach Dave Apatang. They have all been part of the journey and they are the reasons we are the players we are today. And a big thank you to the fans and family who came out to watch us play!”