By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

THE opening day proved to show some of the most exciting basketball that can be found on Guam. Many of the day’s games were very close with games coming down to the last shot; it proved to showcase some of the most talented players on island. The day would begin with a parade and a few words from last years MVP Frances Benitez and League Coordinator Bobby Zamora. After the pre game festivities were over the first game would begin with the Samurai Bombers taking on the Budweiser Kings.
The game would prove to be quite the match up with the pre season #6 ranked Bombers losing in the final seconds to the pre season #8 ranked Kings 46-48. With the Kings down by one and time running out the Kings leading scorer Rich Barcinas would sink a three pointer to give the Kings a two point lead with 20 seconds left on the clock.
The Bombers would then go inside to their leading scorer Rudy Lyle to try and tie the game up but one of the Bombers players would be called for three seconds in the key to give the Kings the ball back with only 1.5 seconds left in the game.
The Bombers would not give up however forcing the Kings out of bounds and in a controversial move the referees would put .3 seconds up on the clock to give the Bombers one last chance, however .3 was not enough time for the Bombers to get the ball in and put a shot up. The Bombers were led by Rudy Lyle with 14 points and Percy Washington who added 13 points in the loss. The Budweiser Kings would be led by Rich Barcinas and his 14 points. Chris Shephard would add another 8 points in the Kings’ victory.
In the second game of the day the top pre-season ranked team would take on the number three ranked team as the Guam Greyhounds battled the Argent Estates Realty. The game would begin close with the score being 11-13 after one quarter of play and a Greyhounds lead.
However, the Greyhounds would then shut down the Realty allowing them to score only six points in the second quarter and only seven points in the third. All the while they pushed their lead scoring 15 points in the second quarter and another 22 in the third giving them a 50-24 lead going into the fourth quarter. Argent Estates would be led by DeAndre Walker with 15 points and Jason Johnson with 11 points but they were no match for Anis Taylor’s 17 points and the Greyhounds shut down defense. EJ Calvo would also add 7 points in the Greyhounds 58-39 victory.
In the first women’s game of the day the Bud Light Stars would defeat the St. Paul Warriors 49 – 30. The fourth game of the day showed that the Livehouse Lancers are a team to be reckoned with after they defeated the National Office Supply 69-48.