Hi-Five draws first blood in U20 playoffs

  Hi-Five/Boholano played steady in the homestretch to thwart AON/Boholano, 65-61, at the start of the playoff round in the U20 division of the 2012 UFO Docomo Pacific Cup last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Donald Hockett and Gary Macahito nailed rally-halting baskets to save Hi-Five’s win, while AON muffed a bundle of free throws in the fourth quarter to fall short on its comeback bid.

With the victory, Hi-Five moved two games away from clinching a finals berth in the double-elimination playoffs. Hi-Five plays the second-seeded MDX/Mariana Resort in the second round of the playoffs tonight at 8pm. SIP/Barney’s, which got a free pass to the second round, winning via forfeit over DeMolay, duels the top-ranked and undefeated DYS/Bayani in the first match at 6:30pm.

The lone game played in the opening round of the U20 playoffs was close in the first half until Hi-Five opened a 45-33 advantage, going into the final four minutes of the third canto. Reynald Cabaltica had six straight points, while Artel Urbano scored Hi-Five’s first four points in the third period before leaving the court due to an injury to give their team a double-digit lead.

However, AON launched its own rally, having an 11-2 windup behind the four points apiece of John John Capuyon and Karlo De Leon and Kobee Mendoza’s triple to stay in contention, 44-47, with still a full quarter to go.

AON had a chance to grab the driver’s seat early in the fourth when it was awarded four free throws, but missed all and that had been the story for coach Edsel Mendoza’s wards as they muffed more than 10 charities and made only one in the final canto alone.

Despite its free throw woes, AON managed to claim the temporary lead at the 5:03 mark of the fourth canto after Mendoza hit a short jumper. However, Hi-Five quickly regained the upper hand, as Donald Hockett found himself alone at the paint for an easy two. He nailed another basket at the exact spot a few plays later, while Gary Macahito also drilled back-to-back shots to keep Hi-Five’s safe distance and Toby Fleming canned two charities in the closing seconds to seal the win.

Hockett paced Hi-Five with his 13 points, while Urbano still finished in double digits with 10 despite leaving the court early in the third after twisting his left ankle. Capuyon had 26 points for AON, which is still in contention as it guaranteed a win in its next game against DeMolay. DeMolay had already forfeited two games and will no longer be allowed to play this Thursday, thus AON is guarantee the win. AON will then meet the winner of the Bayani-SIP tiff on July 10.

Meanwhile, SMF/DYS downed VisMinda/Hi-Five in the last game in the regular season of the U14 division, 84-36.

Hi-Five/POWER 65 – Hockett 13, Urbano 10, Cabaltica 9, F. Macahito 8, Aldan 7, G. Macahito 6, Fleming 4, Atalig 2.

AON/Boholano 61 – Capuyon 26, De Leon 10, Palacios 8, Mendoza 6, Yap 4, Hemley 3, Sanarez 2, Javier 1.

Scoring by quarters: 14-13, 29-25, 47-44, 65-61.

By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter