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Easy debut win for Blue Eagle
Blue Eagle’s Darwin Barbo, third left, drives baseline after getting a screen from teammate Bart Demapan, second left, during their game against Team Lakay in the Open Division of the United Filipino Organization IT&E 2019 Basketball last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Kimberly A. Bautista)
Blue Eagle soared high in its first game in the Open Division of the United Filipino Organization IT&E 2019 Basketball League after hammering Team Lakay, 104-64, last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Bannered by Douglas Schmidt, who won both the regular season and Finals MVP awards in the 2019 Atkins Kroll Marianas International Basketball League, Blue Eagle proved to be a force to reckon with in the 10-team field. It buckled down to work early and kept going as the one-sided game progressed en route to the 40-point winning margin.
Schmidt led the way for Blue Eagle with his 25 points, while Manolo Manalo backed him up, contributing 20 points. Schmidt scored 15 of his total points in the first period to power Blue Eagle to a 31-11 advantage.
Blue Eagle also drew double digits from big men Darwin Barbo and Jack Lizama, who finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively, as they threw their weight around the much smaller Team Lakay frontliners. Ronald Esmores chipped in 8 markers, while Bart Demapan, Edwin Santos, and Will Arcon added 6 apiece to help Blue Eagle overwhelm their opponents.
As for Team Lakay, only Peter Ariar delivered twin digits in the squad’s debut, as he tallied 15 markers.
Besides Team Lakay and Blue Eagle, Pacific Island Club, MJD Corp., Toyota, Shirley’s, Islander Rent A Car, RNV Construction, Hoopaholics, and The Game are the other teams entered in the Open Division.
Games in the Open and Masters will resume this Thursday, while there will also be matches on Saturday and Sunday.
Blue Eagle 104—Schmidt 25, Manalo 20, Barbo 15, Lizama 13, Esmores 8, Arcon 6, Santos 6, Demapan 6, Talana 5.
Team Lakay 64—Ariar 15, Capalad 8, Solis 7, Reyes 6, Bernardo 6, Lumen 6, Bahillo 5, Cabrera 4, Romo 3, Pantoribio 2, Hipolito 2.
