Kanoa Resort, Shirley’s stay unbeaten

Kanoa Resort’s Mico Usi is seen here colliding with Saipan Tribune/RMS’ John March Ong in the rebound play during an earlier game in the Tan Holdings caging late last month at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kanoa Resort eased past CTSI/D&Q in the second game, 82-52, while Shirley’s thwarted Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan in the last match of the night, 82-78. With their similar 3-0 records, Shirley’s and Kanoa remained tied for the lead, while Fiesta dropped to second with its 2-1 mark, and CTSI/D&Q is at the bottom of the team standings with its 0-3 slate.

Shirley’s forced a deadlock for the top spot and foiled Fiesta’s bid for a third straight win after a big third-quarter turnaround. Down at halftime, 39-48, Shirley’s went on a 29-9 scoring run in the third quarter to grab the upper hand, 68-57. Rommel Usi starred in the third period for Shirley’s, unloading three triples in the pivotal quarter. John Jugos backed him up, adding 8 points, 6 of them came from the foul line.

Fiesta tried to bounce back in the fourth, but with only Elmer Esdrelon hitting his shots consistently, the team fell short. Usi nailed another triple late in the fourth, while Erick Dela Rosa had a field goal, and Ariel Drillon made a split to seal the victory for Shirley’s.

Usi paced Shirley’s with his 25 points, while Esdrelon had a season-high 41.

In the second game, Kanoa built an early double-digit advantage, 23-11, and padded its lead in the last three quarters to remain unbeaten in the six-team field.

As expected, Matt Duenas anchored Kanoa’s offense, as the burly forward drilled 6 points in the first canto for their 12-point spread. The rest of his teammates contributed in the last three periods, while CTSI/D&Q had limited options on offense with only Ariel Jinang on target. CTSI/D&Q scored no more than 15 points in each of the fourth quarters, while Kanoa had its best output in the third, recording 26 for a big 64-40 lead.

Duenas finished with a team-high 18 points, while Mico Usi and Cris Huliganga chipped in 12 each.

Meanwhile, POI broke into the win column after dropping its first two games, following a 78-70 victory over Saipan Tribune/Realty Management Services (0-3).

Richard Kim and Ramsa Tenepere tallied 13 points each, while Marvin Salamat contributed 12 to tow POI to its first win. Salamat opener the fourth canto with back-to-back triples to give POI more cushion after leading by only 2 at the end of the third period, 51-49. Tenepere and Kim picked up where Salamat left off, while Byron Iglecias also canned three baskets past the halfway mark of the final canto to help POI take the 8-point victory.

First Game
POI 78 – Kim 13, Tenepere 13, Salamat 12, Arago 9, Iglecias 8, Matagolai 8, Peter 4, Acosta 3.
Saipan Tribune/RMS 70 – Angeles 27, De La Torre 18, Rabago 9, J. Ong 9, Galvez 5.
Scoring by quarters: 14-15, 31-29, 51-49, 78-70.

Second Game
Kanoa Resort 82 – Duenas 18, Huliganga 12, Usi 12, De Arroz 6, Armia 6, Kaipat 4, Villaneuva 4, Nunez 4, Bustillo 3, Pablo 1.
CTSI/D&Q 54 – Jinang 21, Kenty 11, Piteg 7, Carge 4, Ilago 4, Echavez 2.
Scoring by quarters: 23-11, 41-25, 64-40, 82-54.

Third Game
Shirley’s 82 – Usi 25, Sedillo 13, Jugos 12, Dela Rosa 10, Catungal 10, Yap 6, Drillon 6.
Fiesta Resort 78 – Esdrelon 41, Matsutaro 10, Soriano 4, Macoto 4, Galag 3, Alako 2, Demafelix 2.
Scoring by quarters: 20-25, 39-48, 68-57, 82-78.