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Fiesta notches second finals berth
Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Johnston Alokoa pulls up for an open jumper, as Kanoa Resort’s Fred Litulumar comes in late on transition defense during the third quarter of their semis game in the Tan Holdings caging last Saturday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.(Roselyn B. Monroyo)
Fiesta, which finished second in the double-round robin regular season, will battle top finisher and the unbeaten Shirley’s Coffee Shop in this Saturday’s finale. Shirley’s had earlier secured the first finals seat after nipping Pacific Oriental, Inc., 93-91.
Fiesta cruised its way to the championship game after blowing the game wide open in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 20 points, 80-60. Fiesta went on a 13-6 tear in the first four minutes of the fourth period to pull away further after ending the third with a 13-point lead, 67-54. Djay Ong scored 6 points in the spurt, while Johnston Alokoa contributed 5, and Paul Quizon made the other two points to widen the gap.
Matt Duenas scored all of Kanoa’s first 6 points and later teamed up with Mico Usi in launching an 11-0 run to slice the deficit to single digits, 80-71, going into the last four minutes of the semis match. However, Fiesta would not be denied, as Ralph Lavarias came off the bench and drilled the team’s last 6 points, while Kanoa went on silent mode for more than a minute. Dindo Pablo then ended Kanoa’s spell with his back-to-back triples, but he was too late the hero, as Kanoa did not have enough time to overhaul Fiesta’s lead.
Kanoa lost the fight for the second and last finals berth despite leading early, 18-14. Duenas gave Kanoa a good start, firing 8 points in the first period. He had an exchange with Elmer Esdrelon in the opening canto with the Fiesta captain, scoring 6 markers.
Fiesta then stole the lead in the second canto, as it registered its biggest output in that quarter, pouring 29 points. The second-quarter uprising was a team effort, as six different players scored for Fiesta and four of them made at least three baskets apiece. In contrast, only Duenas and Pablo hit the board for Kanoa in the second quarter with the former leading his team with 13 points.
Duenas continued to carry Kanoa on his shoulders, while Fiesta kept distributing the wealth, allowing the defending champion to turn a 37-42 halftime cushion to a baker’s dozen lead, entering the final canto.
Duenas led all scorers with his 39 points and clearly needed help from his teammates, as only three other Kanoa players scored in the knockout match. Seven Fiesta players made it to the board and five of them hit double figures. Ong finished with 18, Adonis Macoto and Esdrelon chipped in 17 and Lavarios and Quizon added 15 and 10, respectively. Alokoa tallied 5, while Joseph Villamena registered 2.
Meanwhile, in this Saturday’s title match, Fiesta is aiming to reclaim the championship it lost in 2012, while Shirley’s hopes to end its back-to-back bridesmaid finishes. Shirley’s lost to Fiesta in the inaugural league in 2011 and then settled for another runner-up finish to CTSI-D&Q the following year.
Fiesta Resort 86 – Ong 18, Macoto 17, Esdrelon 17, Lavarias 15, Quizon 10, Alokoa 5, Villamena 2.
Kanoa Resort 78 – Duenas 39, Pablo 18, Usi 11, Litulumar 10.
Scoring by quarters: 14-18, 42-37, 67-54, 86-80.
