Dream Team stops Runnin’ Rebels

Dream Team dominated the Runnin’ Rebels in the second and third quarters to walk away with a 68-53 victory in their U21 division game in the 2014 BANMI Youth League last Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Dream Team improved its record to 2-4 with two games left in the regular season, while the Runnin’ Rebels also have the same mark, but absorbed their third straight defeat.

The Runnin’ Rebels failed to go back on track as they played so-so offense in the next two periods after clinging to an 18-17 lead at the end of the first frame. The Runnin’ Rebels combined for only 18 points in the second and third frames, while Dream Team had 27 to enter the fourth with a comfortable 54-35 advantage.

Dream Team’s Leonard Sablan goes up for a left-handed layup against KFC’s William Camacho during an earlier U21 game in the BANMI youth league at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Dream Team doubled up the Runnin’ Rebels in the second canto, 21-10, with slasher Shane Deleon Guerrero leading the turnaround. Deleon Guerrero scored 8 points in the second frame, including three straight baskets early in that period, while big man Dino Palacios contributed 5. Three other Dream Team players made it to the board in the second quarter, while only Kevin Kabiriel scored more than one field goal for the Runnin’ Rebels in that letdown. Edmond Borja, and Kenji Abobo, who combined for 9 points in the first period, were scoreless in the second.

The Runnin’ Rebels’ misery did not end in the second frame, as they were held to three field goals in the third canto and tallied only 8 points. Dream Team, on the other hand, registered 16 points to pad their lead. Jason Palacios took over in the third, drilling 10 of his 15 points to lift Dream Team to the 19-point advantage, going into the fourth canto.

Then in the final frame, Deleon Guerrero showed up anew and delivered the telling blows, as he knocked in four straight baskets and added 10 more points. Deleon Guerrero went on to lead all scorers with his 22 points, while Borja paced the Runnin’ Rebels with his 11 markers.

The league’s U21 division is in the final stage of the round-robin regular season, but the official team standings have yet to be released, while the playoff format will be announced later.

Dream Team 68 – Deleon Guerrero 22, J. Palacios 15, D. Palacios 9, Camacho 4, Rabauliman 4, Sablan 4, Kautz 3.

Runnin’ Rebels 53 – Borja 11, Peters 9, Nakashima 6, Ong 6, Laniyo 5, Kabiriel 4, Magofna 2.

Scoring by quarters: 17-18, 38-28, 54-35, 68-53.