PIC snaps skid with OT win

 Defending champion Pacific Islands Club/NVM is back on track after slipping past GPPC in overtime, 111-106, during the second game in the 3rd Annual Shirley’s Coffee Shop Invitational Basketball League last Sunday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

PIC pulled off the victory in the extension period after coming off back-to-back losses. The defending champion now has a 5-2 record for a share of third place with DFS Galleria and Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan. GPPC fell to a 1-6 record and is at the bottom of the team standings in the 10-squad field.

J.R. Mina scored seven points in overtime, while Ponce Rasa canned three important free throws to lift PIC to the five-point win. Jessie Mina and Ziddy Johanes added one field goal apiece to help PIC’s cause.

Only three players contributed for GPPC in the extra five minutes of the game with Randy Mungcal making five markers and Jerry Tolentino and Alex Ocampo chipping in three and two, respectively.

Rasa top-scored for PIC with 29 points, nailing 10 of them in the fourth period that ended in a deadlock, 96-all. Mungcal led all scorers with his 43 points.

The GPPC gunner exploded for 12 early points in first period, while Ocampo had 10 to give their team a 27-24 cushion. Tables turned in the second canto, as PIC hit five triples against GPPC’s two for a 51-45 advantage.

The seesaw battle continued in the second half with GPPC reclaiming the lead after the third period, 72-71, behind the nine points of Mungcal and eight markers apiece of Ocampo and Boboy Sampang.

It was another back and forth game in the fourth period with GPPC forcing overtime after Sampang canned a triple in the closing seconds of the regulation. Sampang scored in all four quarters of the game but went cold in the extension period, allowing PIC to eke out the win.

Shirley’s 90, Grillin’ 76

In the first game, Shirley’s barged into the win column after dominating Grillin’.

The victory boosted the host’s chances in the playoffs where only the Top 8 teams after the round-robin regular season will advance. Shirley has a 1-5 record with three games left and is in a tie for eighth to ninth place with Grillin’.

Kae Bernardo paced Shirley’s with 28 points, posting 14 of them in the fourth quarter where the host pulled away. Shirley’s was up by only seven after the third canto, 60-53, when Bernardo waxed hot in the fourth and J.R. Barrios and Errol Peredo backed him up after adding eight and six markers, respectively. Barrios and Peredo also finished in double digits with 25 and 21 points.

Barrios had his best offensive game in the opening quarter where he fired nine points to power Shirley’s to a 25-16 advantage. Shirley’s made it a 44-28 edge at halftime with Peredo and Bernardo finding their target in the second canto.

In the third period, Grillin’ outgunned Shirley’s for the first time, 25-16, to slice the lead to single digit. However, Grillin’ failed to keep the fire burning in the fourth canto with only Lerio Pagarao scoring more than two points in the payoff frame, while the trio of Barrios, Bernardo, Peredo finished the job for Shirley’s.

First Game

Shirley’s 90 – Bernardo 28, Barrios 25, Peredo 21, Usi 6, De Dios 5, Sedillo 4, Galang 2.

Grillin’ 76 – Pagarao 25, Ritual 14, Kintz 10, Galarse 8, Hernandez 8, Lerio 7, J. Loste 4.

Scoring by quarters: 25-16, 44-28, 60-53, 90-76.

Second Game

PIC/NVM 111 – Rasa 19, JR Mina 25, Abuy 20, Je. Mina 15, Diaz 10, Johanes 8, Ortiz 2.

GPPC 106 – Mungcal 43, Ocampo 26, Sampang 17, Tolentino 13, Rivera 7, Jalandoni 2.

Scoring by quarters: 24-27, 51-45, 71-72, 96-96, 111-106.