As Brian Ajoste opened the first quarter with a two-pointer, Apelo sizzled with 12 points in this period to set the lead.
Apelo fired three straight two-pointers towards the end of the first quarter while Ajoste who scored four more points led the Sonics’ stiff defense before he exhausted all his foul credits.
Leo Galarse helped the Sonics stay in upper ground by firing a total of 12 points, backed Ajoste up in the offensive rebounds.
Jojo Ong picked where Ajoste left off and worked side by side with Galarse in keeping the lead wide open, and the Sonics never trailed.
