Dream Team, Rollers 1 notch easy wins

Dream Team and Rollers 1 bagged easy wins in their separate games in the boys U19 division of the 2014 Tan Holdings Basketball Classic last Tuesday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Dream Team’s Dixon Kwon drives against two Kagman Risers’ defenders during an earlier game in the boys U19 division of the 2014 Tan Holdings Badminton Classic at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Rollers 1 was pitted against sister team Rollers 2 and cruised to an 86-69 victory.

The win was Rollers 1’s fourth in as many games, keeping the squad’s hold to the top spot in the eight-team field, while Rollers 2 fell to an even 2-2 record to place at the bottom half of the team standings.

Dream Team is in second place in the division, tying idle Ol’Aces with their identical 3-1 cards, following the former’s 68-50 rout of Sun Palace Hotel. Sun Palace is still winless in four games. 670 Sonics (2-2), Kagman Risers (2-2), and Rollers 3 (0-4) complete the division.

Dream Team, which had its two-game winning run snapped by the Sonics last week, regained its bearing quickly by dominating Sun Palace.

Ignacio Borja and Brandkiet Castro towed Dream Team to the 18-point win after scoring more than half of the squad’s total production. Borja fired 22 points, while Castro chipped in 18.

Borja started Dream Team’s early assault, drilling 6 of the team’s first 10 points, while Castro began doing the damage on Sun Palace’s defense midway in that opening half, as he nailed 10 straight markers and finished the period with 12. Borja wrapped up the first half with 14 points, making 8 of Dream Team’s last 10 to give his squad a 35-26 advantage.

Despite Borja and Castro’s impressive scoring in the first half, Sun Palace managed to stay in the game and faced only a single-digit deficit, thanks to the combined efforts of Ankie Manalili, Aaron Pamintuan, and John Capuyon. The trio teamed up for 18 points to keep Dream Team within striking distance.

However, in the second half, Dream Team pulled away, as Castro and Borja continued to pepper Sun Palace with successive baskets and their teammates also helped out, while only Capuyon delivered for the losing squad.

In the first game, Rollers 1 established an early double-digit spread, 40-29, and was never threatened.

Rollers 1 coasted to victory despite the absence of Kobee Mendoza, as Prince Factor was there to fill-in the shoes for the former.

Factor scored a game-high 23 points and got enough support from Mike Arciaga and Mike Espinosa, who registered 16 markers apiece.

Espinosa recorded 14 of his total markers in the first half, which he ended with back-to-back triples to lift Rollers 1 to the 11-point halftime advantage.

Rollers 1 stretched the lead in the second half as Factor and Arciaga found their rhythm after a so-so performance in the first half. Factor, who was held to 4 points in the opening 20 minutes of play, had 19 in the second half, while Arciaga added 10, 6 of them came from beyond the arc.

First Game
Rollers 1 86–Factor 23, Arciaga 16, Espinosa 16, Fidelino 6, De Leon 6, Iglecias 5, Malonzo 5, Camacho 2, Vivero 2.

Rollers 2 69–Santos 14, Abobo 10, Cruz 9, Dancoe 8, Rios 4, Alipio 4, Deocares 2, Kwon 2, Babauta 2.

Scoring by halves: 40-29, 86-69.

Second Game
Dream Team 68–I. Borja 22, Castro 18, Kwon 7, Darag, S. Deleon Guerrero 4, Lieto 4, Dean. Deleon Guerrero 2, Francisco 2, Devin Deleon Guerrero 2.

Sun Palace 50–Capuyon 15, Pamintuan 11, Manalili 9, Edralin 5, Benavente 3, Omengkar 3.

Scoring by halves: 35-26, 68-50.