By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

TINIAN started its title defense in the 2007 Inter-government Basketball League with a win, while the Office of the Public Auditor had a rousing debut in the opening of the annual caging last Monday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym.
Tinian, which beat the DPS Enforcers in last year’s finals, 105-102, downed
the Airport Rescue Firefighters, 98-90, in the first game, while OPA pounded the hapless Lawmakers, 113-31, in the second match.
2006 Finals MVP John Santos and gunner Anthony Borja joined forces in Tinian’s victory as they scored 38 points apiece.
Santos and Borja outgunned ARFF’s 1-2 punch Jerome Delos Santos and Jawn Joyner, who drilled 30 and 20 points, respectively.
Tinian began the game with three early triples. Santos hit the first one, while Borja nailed back-to-back triples in the opening minutes of the first quarter, which ended with Tinian up by only three, 19-16.
Despite Santos and Borja’s hot shooting, ARFF managed to keep Tinian within striking distance with Reyes and Joyner leading them.
Reyes and Joyner combined for 13 of ARFF’s 22 points in the second quarter, as Tinian was up by only five points at halftime, 43-38.
The second half was another neck-and-neck battle with Santos and Reyes trading baskets in the third period. Santos hit three triples and scored 13 points in the third period, while Reyes had 11.
Entering the final canto, Tinian was up by only a point, 64-63.
Borja, who was scoreless in the third quarter, started the fourth period with a triple and went on to score 11 more points in the final canto to lead Tinian to an eight-point win.
Santos picked up where he left off adding 13 more markers in the fourth quarter.
Reyes, who fired 25 points after the third quarter, was held to five points in the crucial fourth period leaving to Joyner the responsibility for keeping the Firedawgs in the game in the fourth canto. Joyner had nine points in the final period.
In the second game, OPA drew big games from new recruits for a mind-boggling 82-point win over the Lawmakers.
Ed Diaz, who played for No Zone last year, scored 23 points in his debut for OPA. Tim Wesley, who was with Labor last season, added 22 markers.
Jun Aron, who did not play for any team last year, topscored for OPA with 25 markers.
The Lawmakers gave OPA a good fight only in the first quarter, as the former were down by only seven after the first 10 minutes of the match, 11-18.
But OPA stepped on the gas pedal in the second quarter with Diaz, Aron and Wesley anchoring its well-oiled offensive game.
At the end of the first half, OPA was leading by 33, 50-17. OPA never looked back from thereon.
Scores:
First Game
Tinian 98—Santos 38, A. Borja 38, Reyes 14, Manglona 8.
ARFF 90—Reyes 30, Joyner 20, Torres 12, Sablan 8, Mizutani 5, Ada 4, B. Camacho 3, P. Aldan 2, Sanchez 2.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 43-28, 64-63, 98-90
Second Game
OPA 113—Aron 25, Diaz 23, Wesley 22, Camacho 16, Coldeen 6, Torres 6, S. Rasa 6, Peter 3, Saamoto 2.
Lawmakers 31—Diaz 11, Duenas 9, Towai 5, Cabrera 2, Sablan 2, Kaipat 2.
Quarterscores: 18-11, 50-17, 60-25, 113-31