By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

TOURNAMENT favorite Aqua Resort Club and Hyatt arranged their title duel in the 2006-2007 Inter-Hotel Basketball League/HANMI Cup after posting contrasting semis wins last Tuesday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym.
ARC, which won the pennant after sweeping the regular season, easily cruised to the finals after crushing Pacific Islands Club in the first game, 89-51.
Chris Domingo led ARC’s convincing semis victory drilling 24 points. The Aqua playmaker also grabbed nine rebounds and had four assists for an all-around game, which earned him a PTI Player of the Game award.
It was Domingo who brought Aqua back into the game in the second quarter after his team faced a five-point deficit at the end of the first period.
With James Abuy hitting nine points, PIC took the first quarter, 20-15.
But Aqua grabbed the lead at halftime, 40-30, with Domingo firing nine markers in the second period. Aqua held PIC to three fieldgoals in that canto and outscored the San Antonio-based squad, 25-10.
Aqua never looked back from thereon with Domingo playing his best game in the fourth quarter nailing 11 points.
Three other players scored in double figures for Aqua with Eric Dalangin posting 18 points. Darwin Barbo chipped in 17, while Dalewin Cortez added 12.
JR Negskebei led PIC’s losing cause with 15 markers.
The battle for the second finals berth was a close one with Hyatt winning against Fiesta Resort by only four points, 80-76.
Free-throw shooting made the difference in the second semis match with Hyatt having 14 trips to the 15-foot line in the fourth quarter and converting eight charities.
Hiroshi Yamamoto was 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, Dexter Dillay went 1-of-2, while Edmark Mendoza was perfect going 3-for-3.
Mendoza was later named PTI Best Player of the game after scoring 19 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, giving four assists and posting five shotblocks.
Fiesta was given six free throws in the fourth quarter and made just two of them.
Only Roland Galag scored more than one fieldgoal for Fiesta in the fourth quarter, which started with the game tied at 62-all.
Fiesta was off to a rousing start leading by 10 at the end of the first quarter, 24-14, with Edilberto Carino scoring 10 points.
But Hyatt recovered with Mendoza and Dillay joining forces combining for 13 of their 26 points in the second quarter, which ended with Hyatt in front, 40-37.
Neither team was willing to give way in the third quarter with Krisgel Arreza and Bobby Vargas holding their ground against Fiesta’s Ariel Jinang and Elmer Esdrelon.
With the game in a deadlock entering the crucial fourth quarter, every point counted and Hyatt capitalized on their frequent trips to the 15-foot line to notch the second finals berth.
The winner-take-all championship match will be played this Sunday at the Ada Gym.
Scores:
First Game
Aqua 89—Domingo 24, Dalangin 18, Barbo 17, Cortez 12, Johanes 9, Aquino 4, Velez 3, Ambrocio 2.
PIC 51—Ngeskebei 15, Abuy 13, Fernandez 8, Tolentino 7, Pambid 6, Catacutan 2.
Quarterscores: 14-20, 40-30, 60-42, 89-51
Second Game
Hyatt 80—Mendoza 10, Aquino 13, Dillay 13, Hiroshi 10, Arreza 9, Vargas 8, Umali 8.
Fiesta 76—Jinang 18, Carino 17, Esdrelon 14, Macoto 8, David 5, Galag 5, Ong 5, Alipala 2.
Quarterscores: 14-24, 40-37, 62-all, 80-76