Rollers 1 rallies past Ol’Aces 1

Rollers 1’s Angelo Factor, right, reaches in to steal the ball from the Ol’Aces 1’s Andrew Palino during the second half of their men’s U25 division game in the TanHoldings holiday caging last Wednesday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Rollers 1 took the solo lead in the men’s U25 division of the 2016 TanHoldings Christmas Basketball Tournament after pulling off a 63-62 come-from-behind victory over the Ol’Aces 1 last Wednesday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

June Alipio, Aaron Ogumoro, and Kenji Abobo’s baskets down the stretch helped Rollers 1 complete the rally and gave the team a 2-0 record in the six-squad field. The Ol’Aces 1 dropped to a 1-1 mark, squandering a 14-point lead in the first half, 32-18, after collapsing in the end.

The lefty Alipio canned Rollers 1’s last field goal (a triple), while Ogumoro scored 7 points in the second half, including a pair of important free throws in the closing stages of the match. Abobo had 3 straight points in the homestretch and Rollers 1 drew at least one field goal from six other players to overhaul the double-digit deficit and hand the Ol’Aces 1 a sorry loss.

Ogumoro paced Rollers 1 with his 16 points, while Alipio and Dalton Dancoe contributed 11 each. Sid Quan had 14 markers for the Ol’Aces 1.

The Ol’Aces 1 threatened to pull away midway in the first half when it scored 8 answered points in two minutes, turning a 20-16 advantage to a 28-16 lead. Francisco Mettao then broke Rollers 1’s silence with a point-blank shot, but the Ol’Aces 1 won the next exchange to taste its biggest lead, 32-18. A 10-3 windup from Rollers 1 brought the deficit down to single digit, 28-35, and the Joe Diaz-coached team completed the comeback in the second half as the Ol’Aces 1 played too complacent after regaining the double-digit advantage.

Meanwhile, in other results last Wednesday, MHS and Jingle Ballers prevailed against their respective foes.

MHS got its first victory in the boys U16 division after whipping Rollers 2 in the curtain-raiser, 53-35.
Three MHS players broke into double figures to lift their team to the easy win. Jediael Maualo fired 14 points, while E.J. Abejo and Da We Zhang chipped in 12 each. Three more players hit the board for MHS, while only four scored for Rollers 2 (0-2)

In the women’s division, Jingle Ballers gained its second straight win after edging Armatech, 24-18.

Jingle Ballers, which held a precarious 10-9 lead at the break, shot better in the second half en route to the 6-point win. Jingle Ballers (2-1) knocked in seven field goals—three of them came from Christine Hayag—while Armatech (1-2) was held to four baskets.

Boys U16 Game
MHS 53 – Maualo 14, Zhang 12, Abejo 12, Tenorio 6, Agustin 4, Mango 3, Prado 2.
Rollers 2 35 – Duenas 17, J. Agulto 9, A. Agulto 8, Kim 1.
Scoring by halves: 26-16, 53-35.

Women’s Game
Jingle Ballers 24 – Kenty 7, Hayag 6, Dalusong 5, D. Camacho 4, Francisco 2.
Armatech 18 – Lumabi 7, S. Cubangbang 5, Francisco 2, Beceril 2, J. Cubangbang 2.
Scoring by halves: 10-9, 24-18.

Men’s U25 Game
Rollers 1 63 – Ogumoro 16, Dancoe 11, Alipio 11, Abobo 5, Nakayama 5, Pangelinan 4, Babauta 3, Factor 2, Mendiola 2, Reyes 2, Mettao 2.
Ol’Aces 1 62 – Quan 14, Sakisat 11, Palino 8, Aiferson 7, Tenorio 6, Andrew 6, Nakashima 4.
Scoring by halves: 28-35, 63-62.