Ferrera Builders wins opener

Ferrera Builders drew first blood in the 2015 San Antonio Community Action Network Basketball League after outclassing the Sonics, 62-46, in the U18 division match last Saturday night at the San Antonio court.

The Sonics’ Lawrence Diyco is fouled by Ferrera Builders’ Jun Javier in this rebound play during the second quarter of their U18 division game in opening of the San Antonio caging last Saturday at the San Antonio court.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Ferrera Builders held Sonics to one point in the pivotal third quarter to win the kick-off game in the inaugural league, which also features games in the Open and Masters divisions.

The Sonics were limited to a solitary point in the third period, which began with Ferrera Builders ahead by only 4, 30-26. The Sonics got their lone point from Ryan Esmundo’s split free throw that came midway in the third and the squad continued to have misfortunes in the closing minutes, either throwing wayward shots or muffing point-blank attempts.

While the Sonics bled for points, Ferrera Builders had an easier time finding ways to score with the burly Jun Javier muscling his way into the basket and even hitting a triple in the third canto. The Ferrera Builders center nailed 7 points in the crucial third period and his production was matched by Chico Bondoc to lift their team to a 46-27 advantage, entering the final canto.

In the fourth quarter, both Javier and Chico Bondoc went cold, but their teammates picked up the slack to give Ferrera Builders the double-digit lead on multiple occasions. Joshua Leyco and Amos Lee had 6 points apiece in the fourth, while Franco Bondoc and Jun Castro contributed 2 each.

The Sonics redeemed themselves from a dismal third-quarter showing with a 19-point output in the fourth canto and they even sliced the deficit to single digit, 43-52, after a triple for Raymart Bautista, with still four minutes and change left in the match. However, Ferrera Builders went on a 10-3 windup with Lee nailing 6 of the team’s last 10 markers to seal the win. The Sonics, who got off to a good start after leading at 20-13 in the first frame, fell short on their comeback bid as they continued to miss easy layups and undergoal stabs in the closing minutes of the fourth.

Javier top-scored in Ferrera Builders’ winning debut with a game-high 17 points, while Leyco and Castro also nailed double figures with 12 and 10, respectively. Art Borromeo and Bautista paced the Sonics, tallying 15 points each.

Meanwhile, two matches in the open division were played in the opening day last Saturday and results will be announced in Saipan Tribune’s Tuesday edition. MJD faced the Sonics in the first open division game, while KB Market and Islander Hoops collided in the second match.

Today, CES Electronics takes on GMJ for the first tiff in the masters division, while the latter’s open division team duels Pacman in the second match of the night. The complete schedule of games will be released once all teams have met the league’s requirements. So far, the open division has lured 16 teams, getting six more before the weekend opening, while the masters and U18 division have 8 and 5, respectively.

Ferrera Builders 62 – Javier 17, Leyco 12, Castro 10, F. Bondoc 8, C. Bondoc 7, Lee 6.

Sonics 46 – Borromeo 15, Bautista 15, Esmundo 6, Salalila 4, Muna 3, Diyco 1.

Scoring by quarters: 13-20, 30-26, 46-27, 62-46.