HOLE in the Wall stunned defending champion Mix Breed, 15-11, to win the Marianas International Basketball League 3×3 title Sunday at the Marianas High School gym.
The height advantage of the Hole in the Wall players was their biggest advantage and they made sure they put it to good use.
Dean Blake was the main asset of the team as his post-up skills were unmatched whenever he brought the action underneath the rim where he scored four of his team’s first five points.
The Mix Breed hoopsters, for their part, used speed and range to great effect. Franko Bondoc and Greg Sablan attacked the board while Coby Santos and Jeff Castro looked for the open shot from beyond the three-point.
But Hole in the Wall’s Blake and Dennis Mendiola controlled the rebounds while team-mate Mac Mintac found his groove with consecutive drives to the hoop to maintain a two-possession lead.
During the last five minutes of the championship match, Mix Breed started to struggle as only Sablan was able to penetrate through the towering defense of Hole in the Wall.
Meanwhile, Hole in the Wall’s Mintac was on fire, sinking six points, including one from beyond the arc, to secure the win, 15-11, for his team, the new champion of the 3×3 scene.
“We didn’t expect to win,” Dennis Mendiola said. “It was a great opportunity to play with the young guys. Coming out of retirement, the strategy was to let the younger boys play first and conserve my energy and keep rotating out,” said Mendiola, the CNMI’s fire chief.
He commended Mintac whose skills as a point guard allowed their team to control the ball and set the tempo of the game.
Mintac, who contributed eight points, was named the Most Valuable Player.
“I have to thank my teammates for helping me get this award,” he said. “Teamwork and creating mismatch were part of the plan because we were the taller team,” he added.
Scores
Hole in the Wall 15 – Mac Mintac 8, Dean Blake 4, Dennis Mendiola 3
Mix Breed 11 – Greg Sablan 5, Franko Bondoc 3, Coby Santos 3
Hole in the Wall team members pose with the championship trophy.
Hole in the Wall’s Dennis Mendiola rises up for the finish against two Mix Breed defenders during the MIBL 3×3 championship game at the MHS gym on Sunday.
Mac Mintac poses with the MVP award.
