QQ Rent-A-Car, DLX win in Blue Haus

Q Rent-A-Car outlasted Star Water, 88-78, while Irish Spring-DLX rallied against Mobil, 74-71, in Thursday’s Blue Haus Invitational Basketball League A Division pairings held at the Garapan Basketball Court.

QQ Rent-A-Car, the current division frontrunner, improved its win-loss record to 4-1 as Mobil’s card fell to 1-2.

Second-ranked DLX, meanwhile, capped its third win in four games, while Star Water remains winless after two tries.

The season continues in Garapan tonight at 6pm with B Division’s Wanted Sponsor (1-2) challenging Hip Hop Thunder (1-3) followed by NVM (2-1) against Cargo Express (2-2).

Other competing teams in the A Division are R-Rebels (2-1) and Ashley’s (0-3), while Loving Hands Daycare (3-1) and Saipan Hardware (3-1) make up the rest of the B Division.

In Thursday’s second game, Lerio Pagarao got QQ Rent-A-Car going, scoring 7 points in the first quarter to help his team to an early 21-14 lead.

He received mixed support in the second frame and finished the period with 10 points to give QQ Rent-A-Car a stout 45-29 advantage at halftime.

Ernie Moises, meanwhile, led Star Water with 9 points in the first half.

Pagarao remained seated after the break but his teammates maintained a 63-50 lead heading into the last quarter as six QQ Rent-A-Car players helped out on the offensive end.

QQ Rent-A-Car sharpshooter Marlon Sison then took the floor in the fourth quarter and fired home five 3-pointers to help seal the deal.

Notably, with just over six minutes left in the game a scuffle broke out under the basket causing Pagarao and Star Water’s Joy Dayrit to both be ejected from the game.

Then three minutes later QQ Rent-A-Car point man Ichitaro Faisao fouled out, which allowed Star Water to get back in the game. Star Water’s Marlon De Dios led a late charge, but fouled out in the final minute, extinguishing the rally.

Pagarao and De Dios paced their respective squads with 17 points apiece.

The early match started out locked at 19-all as the DLX duo of Darwin Barbo and Leon Galarse hooked up for 6 points apiece, while Mobil’s Jun Estolas and Bart Demapan combined for 13 on the other end.

Mobil pressed on to a 41-34 lead at midpoint thanks largely to 11 points from Angelo Fernando.

He added a handful after intermission to keep his crew ahead, 55-49, heading into the fourth quarter, but the fashionably late DLX crew saved its best for last.

DLX’s Elmer Esdrelon took over at crunch time, grinding out a big dozen that went with 8 points in support by Galarse.

Esdrelon sunk two of his team’s four free throws as time winded down. Junar Guiab converted the final pair to secure the win.

DLX did a good job factoring Estolas out of the game, and although Fernando stepped up to fill the void, DLX’s late comeback stole it in the end.

Esdrelon finished with a game-high 25 points, while Fernando scrambled for 24 in defeat.

DLX 74 – Esdrelon 25, Guiab 17, Galarse 14, Barbo 8, David 7, Abedes 3.

Mobil 71 – Fernando 24, Estolas 12, Demapan 9, Ajoste 8, Ruluked 6, Corotan 4, Jose 4, Galzote 2.

Scoring by quarters: 19-19, 34-41, 49-58, 74-71.

QQ Rent-A-Car 88 – Pagarao 17, Sison 15, Paraiso 13, Mangali 11, Camacho 10, Faisao 10, Bondoc 6, Concepcion 2, Montes 2, Sablan 2.

Star Water 78 – De Dios 17, Moises 16, Dayrit 14, Rivera 11, Gamboa 9, Santos 7, Capalad 2.

Scoring by quarters: 21-14, 45-29, 63-50, 88-78.