By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

HYATT and Fiesta Resort & Spa will try to keep pace with the league’s leader when they meet separate opponents in the
2006-2007 Inter-Hotel Basketball League/HANMI Cup tonight at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym.
Both teams hold a 2-1 record and are a win away from the leading Aqua Resort Club, which has a perfect 3-0 slate.
Hyatt, which defeated Nikko Hotel and Pacific Islands Club, squares off with World Resort in the first game at 8 p.m.
The Garapan-based hotel, whose lone loss came at the hands of Fiesta Resort, is slightly favored against the winless World Resort.
World Resort lost its first two games in the nine-team tournament.
Bernard Aquino, Mike Umali, Dexter Dillay, Edmark Mendoza and Bobby Vargas will be leading Hyatt’s hunt for its third win.
World Resort will lean on Alex and Alvin Palma, Gerry Gayo, John Navarro and Nabil Murday to break into the win column.
In the second game, Fiesta faces Marianas Resort & Spa at 9:30 p.m.
Fiesta is also favored against Marianas Resort, which has a 1-2 record.
Marianas bowed to Aqua Resort and Saipan Grand Hotel. The Marpi-based hotel’s lone victory was against Hafa Adai.
Fiesta has an intact lineup, as the core of the team that won the 2005 edition of the Mobil co-ed caging, are still playing in the revived HANMI Cup.
They are 2005 Mobil co-ed MVP Elmer Esdrelon, Adonis Macoto, Manfredo Alipala, Edilberto Carino, Arile Jinang and Roland Galag.
Marianas Resort is a raw team, as only Monico Usi and Jayson Gatdula are used to playing in various tournaments on the island. Backing Usi and Gatdula are Arnold Capuli, Edward Alvarez, Roy Ocanada, Dennis Sebastian and Albert Pajarillaga.
Meanwhile, four more teams return to action after an almost three-week break on Thursday.
Nikko challenges PIC in the first game at 8 p.m. while Aqua collides with Saipan Grand Hotel at 9:30 p.m.
Nikko and PIC hold identical 1-2 records.
The second game will be a battle of undefeated teams with Aqua hoping to earn its fourth straight win and SGH eyeing its third in a row.