Saipan Ice stays alive, 118-81

Hite Jinro’s Kevin De Leon goes up for a layup against Maplas’ Emerson Claveria during the first quarter of their game in the DL Corp. caging last Monday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The win improved Saipan Ice’s record to 2-6 and put the team in a tie at eighth to ninth place with Maplas. Blue Haus dropped to a 2-5 record and will battle Saipan Ice and Maplas for the last two playoff spots. Blue Haus will play its last game in the elimination round tomorrow night against Island Floral (3-4) and a win will give the team and Maplas the tickets to the playoffs, while Saipan Ice will be ousted. A Blue Haus loss will create a three-way tie for the last two playoff seats and a quotient system will be implemented to break the tie. The team with the lowest points will go to the exit door.

Saipan Ice remained in contention as it hammered Blue Haus right at the get-go, leading by 18 big points, 31-13. Derrick Rangamar led Saipan Ice’s rousing start, drilling 18 points in the opening canto. He went on to finish with a season-high 42 points, as Saipan Ice kept pouring one basket after another en route to the lopsided victory.

With Rangamar burning the hoops and getting support from Jun Pena, Jack Lizama, and Dan Barcinas, Saipan Ice more than doubled Blue Haus’ output by the end of the first half, 67-27. Pena backed up Rangamar with his 17 points, while Barcinas and Lizama chipped in 12 apiece. Dexter Mendiola was the third Saipan Ice player to finish in twin digits with 11.

Edwin Camacho and Ernie Moises paced Blue Haus with 15 points apiece.

In the second game, Hite Jinro also reached the century mark to rout Maplas, 104-84.

Hite Jinro finished the round-robin elimination with a 7-1 record to top the nine-team field, beating San Antonio in the tiebreak for first place. Hite Jinro handed San Antonio its lone loss in the elimination, while the former absorbed its only defeat at the hands of Saipan Ice. Both Hite and San Antonio are assured of automatic semis berths.

Hite Jinro opened an early double-digit spread in the first period, 26-12, and never looked back, withstanding Maplas’ rally in the third period.

Maplas turned an 11-point halftime deficit, 36-47, to 8 at the end of the third, 62-70, but Hite opened the fourth with back-to-back triples from Chris Mizer and Zack Babauta to gain more cushion. Hite was never threatened from thereon to foil Maplas’ bid to enter the playoff round, which will begin this Sunday.

First Game
Saipan Ice 118 – Rangamar 42, Pena 17, Lizama 17, Barcinas 12, Mendiola 11, Standish 8.

Blue Haus 81 – E. Camacho 15, Moises 15, Talania 14, Barrios 9, Hernandez 7, B. Camacho 7, Santos 6.

Scoring by quarters: 31-13, 67-27, 96-58, 118-81.

Second Game
Hite Jinro 104 – Lampkin 16, De Leon 15, Mizer 14, Babauta 10, T. Montes 9, Camacho 9, Sison 9, Lauron 6, A. Montes 4, Paraiso 4.

Maplas 84 – Mendoza 26, Fernando 26, Berline 9, R. Usi 8, Cortexz 6, Odicta 2.

Scoring by quarters: 26-12, 47-36, 70-62, 104-84.