Rollers 2 moves up to solo first place

Rollers 2 started the second round of the boys division contest in the 2013 Sun Palace Christmas Basketball Tournament with a 64-56 win over Dream Team last Monday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

The victory improved Rollers 2’s record to 6-1 and also gave the team the solo lead over Rollers 1 (5-1) and Rollers 3 (5-1), pending the results of last night’s matches.

The absence of key player Kobe Mendoza did not cause much trouble for the Rollers 2’s offense, as John John Capuyon and Jun Fidelino were there to step up, scoring 22 and 21 points, respectively. Mike Espinosa also helped out with his 13 markers.

The trio teamed up in giving Rollers 2 a double-digit margin at the half, 35-24, with Fidelino making 11 points in the first half and Espinosa and Capuyon adding 10 and 8, respectively. Dream Team, which is still winless in six games, faced an 11-point deficit at the break, as only Irish Pagarao hit more than two field goals for the team in the opening frame.

Pagarao’s teammates started to contribute in the second half, but Capuyon countered with 14 big points in the second half to keep Rollers 2’s distance en route to the 8-point win. Capuyon knocked in three triples in the second frame.

FTMP 52, Rollers 5 33
In the other boys division match, FTMP ended a two-game slide and moved up to an even 3-3 card after routing the winless Rollers 5 (0-5).

FTMP took from right at the get-go for the easy victory. Kautong Omengkar scored 10 of his 14 points in the first period, while three other chipped in at least two baskets each to power FTMP to a 34-21 halftime advantage.

Rollers 5 never made headway in the second half to overhaul the double-digit deficit, as only Henry Yu broke into double figures for the team. Yu finished with 12 points and Rollers made only four field goals in the second half.

Tappers 50, Futball 46
In the girls division, Tappers barged into the win column in its last game in the double-round robin tournament after outlasting Futball.

Tappers and Futball ended the preliminary round with similar 1-5 slate, but the latter took the No. 3 spot, as it defeated the former by 7 points in the first round, 49-42. The third-ranked Futball will face the No. 1 finisher in tomorrow’s semifinals, while Tappers will meet the No. 2 placer. Hula Girls (5-0) and Wrecking Balls (4-1) battled for the top spot last night. A win over Wrecking Balls would have given Hula Girls the top ranking and a lost would have created a tie. To win the tie, Wrecking Ball must have a winning margin of at least 5 points, as Hula Girls defeated the former in the first round by 4 points, 47-43.

Four points also separated Tappers and Futball in the penultimate game in the elimination and three of them came from the foul line. Chevy Kate Alipio canned two crucial charities, while Jomalyn Gelacio had a split. Alipio top-scored for Tappers with her 27 points, matching the output of Diane Pablo for Futball.

First Game
FTMP 52 – Omengkar 14, Montes 12, A. Francisco 6, Dantic 5, Roque 5, N. Francisco 4, Del Rosario 2, Sanarez 2.
Rollers 5 33 – Yu 14, Ogumoro 8, Cobacha 5, Caracut 4, Tengco 4, Mamaril 1.
Scoring by halves: 34-21, 51-33.

Second Game
Tappers 50 –Alipio 27, Rogoyawa 6, Gelacio 6, Francisco 5, Bartolo 2.
Futball 46 – Pablo 27, Castillo 14, Lee 2, Lumabi 2, Phan 1.
Scoring by halves: 27-21, 50-46.

Third Game
Rollers 2 64– Capuyon 22, Fidelino 21, Espinosa 13, Cenir 5, Vivero 3, Darag 2.
Dream Team 56 – Pagarao 13, R. Kautz 8, Travilla 8, I. Palero 8, Javier 6, Williams 4, Castillo 3, Ito 3, M. Kautz 2.
Scoring by halves: 35-24, 64-56.