Saipan Ice edges IT&E for first win in biz caging

Saipan Ice & Water outlasted IT&E, 68-64, to finally barge in the win column of the Inter-Commercial Business Basketball League 2015 last Thursday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Patrick Rotap and John Santy alternated in delivering the points for Saipan Ice for its first win after consecutive blowout losses against Mobil/JP World on Feb. 5 (86-54) and Pacific Islands Club-Saipan (103-48) last Feb. 10.

Rotap and Santy scored all of Saipan Ice’s 16 points, 8 markers each, in the final period to escape with the win.

Saipan Ice seemed headed for the easy win when it built a 16-point spread after 10 minutes of play, 27-11.

But IT&E, behind J.R. Renguul and Ehrol Peredo’s game-long brilliance, kept the game close and even held a slim 53-52 lead entering the final quarter.

That was when Rotap and Santy, who finished with 30 and 24 points each, took over for Saipan Ice.

Renguul top-scored for IT&E with 22 markers, while Peredo chipped in 19 and Jason Palacios contributing 14 more.

In the second game, Preston Basa drained 9 of the Public School System’s 11 3-pointers in an 87-69 humbling of Docomo Pacific.

Basa finished with a game-high 37 points for PSS, which broke the game wide open in the second period after holding on to a 17-14 spread after the first quarter.

Docomo failed to keep up with PSS, which stepped on the gas further in the third to never look back.

Maverick Itibus and Jerry Diaz provided scoring support to Basa contributing 17 and 12 markers each.

Tony Diaz and Robert Sanciangco scattered 20 points each for Docomo, while Jay White added 13 markers.

Unbeaten PIC shoots for a third straight win when it faces Saipan Stevedore in tonight’s 6:30pm first game, while Saipan Ice tries to nail another victory when it takes on Joeten Enterprises at 8pm.

First Game

Saipan Ice 68 – Rotap 30, Santy 24, Olopai 8, Hernandez 4, Kaipat 2.

IT&E 64 – Renguul 22, Peredo 19, Palacios 14, Aglipay 4, Santos 3, Benavente 2, Bernal 2.

Scoring by quarters: 27-11, 36-34, 52-53, 68-64.

Second Game

PSS 87 – Basa 37, Itibus 17, Diaz 12, Villagomez 8, Tenorio 7, Loste 5, Winkfield 1.

Docomo 69 – Diaz 20, Sanciangco 20, White 13, Hayes 6, Alvarez 4, Sanchez 4, Mendiola 2.

Scoring by quarters: 17-14, 38-20, 69-37, 87-69.