Saipan Ice barges into semifinals

The Destroyers’ Sam Fernandez gets in the way of Saipan Ice’s Jack Lizama, who went on to make an and-1 play in the first half of their quarterfinal game in the DL Corp. caging last Wednesday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Saipan Ice, which claimed the second to the last playoff seat and then stunned the sixth-seeded Gliders, is now in the semifinals and faces second-ranked San Antonio in the first Final Four match tonight at 6:30pm. Regular season top finisher Hite Jinro and Island Floral collide in the other semis game at 8pm.

Jack Lizama came into Saipan Ice’s rescue after the team squandered a double-digit spread, going into the last five minute of the match. The mobile big man converted a twisting layup and two charities under the one-minute mark of the seesaw battle to move Saipan Ice one win away from advancing to the finals.

Lizama also scored 6 straight points early in the fourth frame to lead a 10-2 run that gave Saipan Ice a 10-point advantage, 85-75, 5:05 left on the clock. Before the rally, Lizama and company were clinging to a 1-point lead, 68-67, but after creating more breathing room between them and the Destroyers, Saipan Ice found itself locked in a standoff, 85-all. The Destroyers managed to tie the match after launching a 10-0 bomb in the next three minutes. Edwin Santos anchored the fight-back, drilling 6 points, including the equalizer underneath the basket off an extra pass from Junar Guiab.

The Destroyers then had a chance to steal the lead after Saipan Ice was called for a travelling violation on the other end, however Elmer Esdrelon’s shot off a touchdown pass from Guiab rattled off the rim and Saipan Ice controlled the rebound with Lizama on the finishing end, driving against Esdrelon and going for a twisting shot to avoid his defender.

Esdrelon tried to retaliate quickly, but missed a triple. There was a battle for the loose ball after the long shot and the Destroyers won, but failed to cash in on the second and third opportunities with Webb Gontar faltering on another jumper and Esdrelon missing again, as he tried his luck from downtown anew instead of just a quick 2 with still 30 seconds left in the match. After the third miss, Saipan Ice finally got the rebound and the Destroyers fouled Lizama to stop the clock.

Lizama went on to can the pair of charities to up their lead to 4, 89-85, with 14.7 seconds left in the game. An undergoal stab from Gontar sliced the deficit to 2 and the Destroyers gambled on not giving up another foul and instead tried to steal the ball. However, Saipan Ice players were scattered well on the floor and ironically big man and error-prone Alex Standish got the possession and went coast to coast from the backcourt for the dagger, 91-87, 5.5 seconds remaining on the clock. Treat Kaipat then intercepted Guiab’s inbound pass and Saipan Ice ran down the time to continue their uphill climb in the nine-team league after earning only two wins in the regular season.

Saipan Ice managed to eliminate the Destroyers despite playing without Dan Barcinas. Kaipat stepped up for Barcinas, scoring 20 points, while Derrick Rangamar was his usual explosive self, drilling 26 markers. Lizama also had 26 points, making up for his absence in their first round victory against the Gliders.

The Destroyers was also without its key player Matt Duenas. Esdrelon attempted to fill the void, as he scored 34 points, but missed majority of his shots in the fourth where he was held to 2 points. Guiab and Santos added 15 and 12, respectively.

Island Floral eliminates TBK
Meanwhile, Island Floral also eked out a close win over TBK Mechanics in the first game, 90-88, to notch the third semis berth.

Island Floral, which is incidentally made up of the core of Island Manpower roster that defeated TBK in the finals in Season 3, drew timely baskets from Peter Lizama and Ferrick Aguon in the homestretch to oust last season’s finalist.

Lizama had a string of 3 points, while Aguon scored Island Floral’s last 4 markers to put their team one win away from marching into the finals. Aguon hit all his 6 points in the fourth frame, while Lizama registered eight of his 12 in the final canto. The fourth period started with Island Floral behind, 62-64, and the game remained tight with Kelvin Fitial and Lerio Pagarao keeping up with their foe’s balance offense. However, Island Floral had the last say with Aguon and Lizama hitting clutch baskets, while Fitial went scoreless in the closing minutes of the playoff match.

First Game
Island Floral 90 – Bisana 17, Tabora 14, Lizama 12, Norita 11, Capalad 9, Kaipat 7, Aguon 6, Diaz 5, Ong 4, Teregeyo 4.

TBK Mechanics 88 – Pagarao 19, Fitial 18 I. Devero 10, N. Mateo 10, Quitugua 8, C. Devero 5, Catalla 5, Pangelinan 3, Velasco 2.

Scoring by quarters: 25-18, 40-43, 62-64, 90-88.

Second Game
Saipan Ice 91 – Lizama 26, Rangamar 26, Kaipat 20, Standish 11, Mendiola 4.

Destroyers 87 – Esdrelon 34, Guiab 15, Santos 12, Gontar 10, Fernandez 7, Serrano 3, Bautista 2.

Scoring by quarters: 16-16, 41-40, 68-67, 91-87.