Kanoa Resort dethrones Fiesta

Kanoa Resort’s Matt Duenas pulls up for a shot against Fiesta Resort’s Elmer Esdrelon, left, and Jerald Rivera, third left, during the deciding Game 2 of their title duel in the TanHoldings caging last night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kanoa Resort ended Fiesta Resort’s two-year reign after cruising to an 85-66 victory in their winner-take-all game in the 2016 TanHoldings Inter-Company Basketball League last night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Kanoa, which had to play a rubber match against Fiesta after the latter pulled off a 91-90 win in Game 1 of their championship showdown last Friday, made sure there will be no more upset in the deciding tiff, dominating Game 2 right from the get-go and withstanding the dethroned champion’s rally late in the third quarter all the way to the opening minute of the fourth.

Fiesta, which fell behind by as much as 27, 61-34, had a 10-2 1 windup in the final two minutes of the third period, capitalizing on the absence of Kanoa key players Matt and Ernest Duenas to bring the deficit down to 18, 44-62, entering the fourth canto.

Fiesta then moved within 14, 48-62, behind the back-to-back baskets of Jerald Rivera, with still 9:22 left in the final frame. However, that was the closest that Fiesta could get, as Kanoa countered with a killer 12-2 scoring run in a span of about three minutes to put the game away for good, 74-50, and secure this season’s championship.

Dindo Pablo sparked Kanoa’s pivotal surge as he knocked in a triple from the left key before adding a 2-point basket. Matt Duenas, who seemed to be not bothered by the knee injury that forced him to spend the remaining minute of Game 1 on the bench, also had 5 markers in that spurt, while Douglas Schmidt contributed a layup to finish off Fiesta.

Schmidt earlier in the first quarter buried two triples and Kanoa hit three straight shots from beyond the arc to dictate the tempo of the game. Ernest Duenas canned the other trey for Kanoa, which closed the first period ahead by double digits, 29-17.

The lead ballooned to 20 by the end of the first half, 47-27, as Kanoa continued to find its target, while Fiesta fired blanks, as the deposed champion either missed shots or lost the leather. Kanoa clogged Fiesta’s passing lanes, making it hard for Arjay Nonato and Rivera to nail baskets inside. Schmidt’s long arms intercepted majority of those passes.

It did not help Fiesta that it also could not buy baskets from outside. Fiesta made only one triple, which came from Paul Quizon in the fourth period and was made when Kanoa was already in full control of the rubber match.

Kanoa, on the other hand, drilled 11 shots from the parking lot with Schmidt firing four and Pablo having three. Rodney Sacramento contributed two triples, while Ernest Duenas and Ricky Bustillo had one apiece.

Schmidt led all scorers with his 24 points, while Pablo and Matt Duenas added 17 each.

Nonato paced Fiesta with his 22 markers, but was held to 2 points as he spent majority of the fourth period on the bench. Jarett Matsutaro was the other double-figure scorer for Fiesta with his 10 markers, but most of them were garbage points. Elmer Esdrelon, Rivera, and Sedillo, who combined for 45 big points in their Game 1 win, totaled only 22 in the deciding Game 2. Sedillo had limited minutes in Game 2 and was held to 4 markers—a far cry from his 12 points in Game 1.

Kanoa 85 — Schmidt 24, Pablo 17, M. Duenas 17, E. Duenas 8, Bustillo 6, Sacramento 6, Villagomez 4, Usi 3.

Fiesta 66 — Nonato 22, Matsutaro 10, Esdrelon 9, Rivera 9, Macoto 6, Sedillo 4, Maratita 3, Quizon 3.

Scoring by quarters: 29-17, 47-27, 62-44, 85-66.