Saints steal RBC U25 title from top seed Runnin’ Rebels

 A last-second tip-in at the buzzer lifted the Saints past the favored Runnin’ Rebels in the Rollers Basketball Club’s U25 fundraiser tournament championship held last Tuesday evening at the Garapan Basketball Court.

The Saints are comprised of Arvin Avila, Joseph Basa, Donovan Brennan, Dave Camacho Jr., Pedro Castro, Richard Cruz, Travis Eubanks, Leo Galarse, Vince Iglesias, Wens Namelo, and L.J. and Luizi Reyes.

Like the first time the teams met in the earlier rounds, Tuesday’s finals was a very tight and back-and-forth match for all 32 minutes.

The Saints scrambled out to an early 16-15 edge in the opening 16 minutes built off a pair of 3-pointers by L.J. Reyes.

Eubanks, Castro, Iglesias, and Luizi Reyes chipped in on the action. Brennan also made his way to the line for a bucket.

Trevor Ogumoro led the Rebels with eight points that went with a couple of baskets from Ben Lisua and a three-ball by Ed Camacho in the first stanza as it was still anyone’s game at mid-point.

The Saints transition setup also allowed them to hustle down a lot of loose balls as they clung to their lead for the majority of the closing half.

The Rebels never went away, but still looked a little out of sync, but they kept clawing and eventually swiped the lead with about four minutes left in regulation.

The Saints contained Ogumoro early on in the period, but he pressed on and found his way to the hoop for a handful of big points in the clutch that pushed the Rebels ahead, 33-32, with just a fraction of a minute on the clock.

Saints’ Galarse was all over the place and led the squad with seven points at crunch time, but missed two critical free throws with just four seconds remaining that could have either won it or at least forced some bonus time.

After Galarse’s first shot misfired and his second try clanged off the mark, it looked rather dim for the Saints. Yet somehow their prayers were answered as the ball bounced right into the hands of a teammate who botched the first put-back attempt, but Camacho Jr. was still home under the basket and immediately went back up for a bang-bang play at the buzzer that fell through.

Some spectators in the crowd were not exactly certain whether or not the second tip-in attempt was in fact released in time, but the referees reiterated the basket was good.

It was a tough break for the Rebels who advanced through the tournament in first place and took the first round against their rivals, 37-35, in overtime during the upper bracket semifinals held back on April 30.

The Saints earned its rematch with the Rebels after eliminating third place Saipan I, 45-39, in the lower bracket semifinals back on May 2.

RBC’s younger Saipan II squad also participated in the event.

Saipan I downed the Track Starz, 38-29, in the very first match held on April 29.

Later that evening the Saints snuck past Saipan II, 32-39, while the Rebels knocked off Saipan I, 39-27, to set the stage for the upper bracket semis pairing.

Track Starz then ousted Saipan II, 54-30, the next day, but forfeited away its chance for a finals berth to Saipan I.

In evaluation of the overall execution of the caging, RBC head coach Joe Diaz shared, “All in all, I think the tournament ran smoothly. Our guys have been conducting games for a while now and have developed a system that continues to improve. The weather gave us some problems and we had to make scheduling adjustments, but the volunteers pulled together and made it happen..”

Diaz added, “As for the games, they were very physical and competitive, and the older players did a good job maintaining good sportsmanship.fighting was never an issue on the court and I want to commend them for keeping their composure and putting on a good show for my younger players.”

Usually Diaz’s U25 division players are the ones conducting events for the younger guys, but this time some of the teenagers took part in conducting the group’s activities from running the game clock, to refereeing and keeping score.

A number of his even younger players often held practices before the tournament matches and stuck around to watch the more experienced aspiring ballers.

“It was good to see maturity on the court from both the older and younger players and my even younger guys got to see it in action after getting in practice sessions before the show” said Daiz.

Proceeds of the tournament went toward two RBC U14 squads’ trip to Manila, Philippines where they will appear in the Pacific Rim Manila Goodwill Tournament in July. This is the club’s first-ever trip to the Philippines.

With that said, be on the lookout for a youth U12 to U14 type caging in the not so distant future.

The RBC is just under 100 strong and growing, especially in the younger age groups. They also openly welcome more female participants of all ages.

The RBC is still looking for potential banner sponsors who would like to offer their support of the biggest year round basketball youth organization on Saipan.

While the fundraiser tourney was considered a success, the RBC, however, is still in need of support to help provide chaperones for their big trip.

Contact RBC’s Joe Diaz at 285-4141 for more information or email joediaz41@gmail.com. You can also visit www.rollersbasketballclub.yolasite.com or look them up on Facebook.

Saints 34 – Galarse 7, L.J. Reyes 6, Castro 5, Camacho Jr. 4, Eubanks 4, Lu. Reyes 4, Brennan 2, Iglesias 2.

Runnin’ Rebels 33 – Ogumoro 13, E Camacho 9, Lisua 4, Norita 3, Flores 2, Litulumar 2.

Scoring by halves: 16-15, 34-33.