Hite Jinro vs San Antonio in finals

Hite Jinro’s Jason Lampkin uses the board to make a layup against Island Floral’s Jerome Norita, while the latter’s teammate Zack Diaz steps in for a possible rebound during the second quarter of their semis game in the DL Corp. caging last Friday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Juan Camacho canned a game-tying triple, while Kevin De Leon drained a pair of clutch free throws to lift Hite Jinro to the 2-point win and hand the team the second and last finals berth. Hite Jinro was scheduled to duel San Antonio, which eliminated Saipan Ice in the other pairing, 103-97, in the winner-take-all finale last night and results of the championship match were unavailable at press time. Island Floral (formerly Island Manpower), which defeated TBK Mechanics in the Season 3 finals, also played last night in a battle for third place against Saipan Ice.

Camacho bravely pulled up for a triple in front of Hite Jinro’s bench on the right sideline where team captain Marlon Sison was standing and telling his teammates just to go for a quick 2, as Island Floral was ahead by only 3, 75-72, with about one minute left in the game. Camacho’s gamble paid off, as his wide-open long shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net and tied the match, 30.9 seconds remaining on the clock.

The score was deadlocked in the next two possessions, as Hite and Island Floral traded errors in the backcourt. Island Floral’s Pete Lizama committed the first one, as he was called for a dribbling violation, while trying to fake off and prevent Zack Babauta from stealing the ball after getting the inbound pass from Butch Kaipat. Rolly Paraiso was called for the second infraction when he attempted to get out of two Island Floral defenders and was charged with a traveling violation.

After Paraiso’s turnover, Island Floral was left with 19.6 seconds to orchestrate a crucial play. The deposed champion could have taken the last shot in the close match with the 24-second shot clock ticking, but Cesar Bisana saw daylight and attacked early from the left key. He overshot his mark, as Camacho’s long arms provided the last line of defense for Hite. De Leon then beat the much taller Island Floral players for the rebound and was fouled by Butch Kaipat on his way down to protect the leather.

The Hite point guard went on to step on the foul line for two important charities and he survived the pressure, knocking in both to give his team a precarious 2-point cushion, 77-75, and force Island Floral to call its last time out with six seconds left on the clock.

When the game resumed, Pete Lizama did the inbound and passed the ball to a teammate on the right corner before the leather reached the hands of Bisana in the paint. Bisana curled, but had two Hite players on him and decided to kick the ball out to Jerome Norita, who pulled up for a triple from the left key. Norita’s shot had a good line, but fell just a little bit short of making it to the net. The ball then bounced to the floor as time expired and Hite managed to steal the win.

Camacho and De Leon saved Hite Jinro’s season as they helped complete the team’s come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter. Hite was once behind by 12 points, 63-51, after Norita completed an and-1 play, with still 8:13 left in the clock.

Sensing trouble, Hite sued for time and De Leon drilled a triple to start the rally. His two charities capped a back-breaking 14-2 rally and put Hite back in the lead since the first half, which ended with the eventual finalist on top 35-26.

Island Floral momentarily regained the upper hand, 66-65 and had the lead the last time, 75-73, after Kaipat intercepted Babauta’s pass to Paraiso and completed the defensive stop with a fastbreak layup off a feed from Lizama.

Meanwhile, San Antonio also met a tough competition in Saipan Ice in the first semis game. The first finalist trailed in the first half before getting some cushion in the second to nail the 6-point winning margin.

San Antonio spread the wealth in the second half to offset the 43-point explosion of Saipan Ice’s Dan Barcinas. Six players scored in double figures for San Antonio, while only Jack Lizama and Derrick Rangamar backed up Barcinas. Lizama chipped in 28, but was scoreless at the last half of the fourth canto, while Rangamar contributed 12. Jack Aranda paced San Antonio with 21, while Barbo reported back for duty after missing a couple of games and tallied 17. Mike Arciaga registered 14, while Kobe Mendoza and Jun Fidelino added 12 and 10, respectively.

First Game
San Antonio 103 – Aranda 21, Barbo 17, Arciaga 14, Mendoza 12, Fidelino 10, Factor 8, Feria 7, Alegre 4, Espinosa 2.

Saipan Ice 97 – Barcinas 43, Lizama 28, Rangamar 12, Kaipat 8, Standish 6.

Scoring by quarters: 18-19, 42-43, 68-65, 103-97.

Second Game
Hite Jinro 77 – Paraiso 18, De Leon 15, Camacho 10, Mizer 7, Lampkin 6, Babauta 6, Lauron 4, Sison 3, T. Montes 2,

Island Floral 75 – Bisana 23, Norita 18, Kaipat 11, Capalad 4, Tabora 4, Lizama 2, Aguon 2.

Scoring by quarters: 18-14, 35-26, 49-56, 77-75.