Rollers 2 in three-way tie for lead

Rollers 2 gained back-to-back wins over the weekend to join two others in the lead in the 2013 Sun Palace Christmas Basketball Tournament.

Rollers 2 defeated FTMP last Friday, 69-48, and then whipped Rollers 4, 72-46, last Saturday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium to improve to a 5-1 record and tie Rollers 1 and Rollers 3 for the top spot in the boys division.

Against Rollers 4, Rollers 2 still walked away with the easy win in the end despite falling behind by double digits early in the match. Rollers 4 stunned Rollers 2 with an 11-0 scoring run in the first three minutes of play. Five different players made field goals for Rollers 4 in the opening minutes of the first canto, which ended with Rollers 2 managing to grab the upper hand, 27-21.
Rollers 1 recovered quickly with Mike Espinosa taking charge of the team’s offense late in the opening canto and drawing help from Kobe Mendoza. Espinosa, who got his first 3 points from the foul line, scored 8 of Rollers 2’s last 10 markers in the first period, while Mendoza chipped in 8.

Mendoza kept going in the second half, adding 10 more and the rest of Rollers 2 stepped up to hand Rollers 4 its fourth loss in six games of the double-round robin tournament.

Versus FTMP last Friday, Rollers 2 also got off to a slow start, leading by only a deuce at halftime, 21-19, before going all out in the final half for the 21-point victory.

Jun Fidelino led Rollers 2’s second half-attack, as he dropped all his 18 points in the remaining 20 minutes of play. Espinosa also had twin digits in the second half, contributing 10, while three other Rollers 2 players scored at least 6 points apiece in the final frame.

Meanwhile, in the girls division match last Friday, Wrecking Balls downed Tappers, 52-46.
Rachel Abrams connected on back-to-back field goals in the closing seconds of the match, while Madeleine Alegre knocked in a pair of charities to lift Wrecking Balls to the 6-point win. Abrams finished with a game-high 23 points, while Alegre had 18.

The depleted Wrecking Balls had to look for their Twin Towers in the clutch after wasting a 14-point halftime margin, 29-15. Tappers slowly sliced Wrecking Balls’s lead behind the baskets of Patricia Echavez, Chevy Kate Alipio, and Janelle Francisco. However, Alegre and Abrams came to Wrecking Balls’ rescue, capitalizing on their height advantage by hitting point-blanked shots.

SATURDAY
Rollers 2 72 – Espinosa 20, Mendoza 18, Mangalo 12, Cenir 11, Capuyon 8, Vivero 1.
Rollers 4 46 – Kwon 14, Deocares 8, Sagun 7, Ellama 6, Iba 4, Espinola 2, Santos 2, Toves 2.
Scoring by halves: 27-21, 72-46.

FRIDAY
First Game
Wrecking Balls 53 – Abrams 23, Alegre 14, Ito 9, Samson 7.
Tappers 46 – Echavez 13, Alipio 12, Francisco 9, Bartolo 9, Rogoyawa 2, Garon 2.
Scoring by halves: 29-15, 52-46.

Second Game
Rollers 2 69 – Fidelino 18, Espinosa 17, Mendoza 14, Darag 12, Mangalo 8.
FTMP 48 – Montes 19, Lixing 17, Omengkar 6, Leyco 2, Francisco 2, Asistores 2.
Scoring by halves: 21-19, 69-48.