By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
UNITY Trade/Yabangis, JIL 2, and A’s Car Aircon, along with Kim’s/Ace’s Barber, have secured their spots in the final four of the lower bracket in the Saipan Centennial Lions Club 3rd Season Invitational Basketball League 2025 after eliminating their respective opponents during the quarterfinal games held Sunday at the TSL Sports Complex.
Unity Trade/Yabangis emerged victorious after mounting a second-half rally to defeat JIL 1, 74–61.
The first half saw both teams evenly matched. JIL 1 started off confidently, opening the scoreboard with back-to-back buckets from Christian De Jose, along with a pair of free throws by Rayan Hipolito and Junior Caraig.
Unity Trade, meanwhile, struggled to find the bottom of the net until Raymond Velasco found his rhythm, igniting the offense with eight points — including a triple and an and-one play — before a timeout was called.
Christian De Vero and Jerome Directo then took over the offensive spotlight for Unity Trade with six and 11 points, respectively, as they looked to pull away. However, JIL 1’s persistence paid off as unselfish plays complemented their teamwork and chemistry, allowing them to rally and force a 34–34 deadlock going into halftime.
Despite their strong first half, JIL 1 failed to carry the momentum after the break, falling behind once again under the relentless pressure of Unity Trade. Capitalizing on each defensive stop, Unity Trade sparked an offensive run led by the in-and-out game of Jonathan Broncano and Directo, gradually building a double-digit lead.
JIL 1 continued to fight back with Chris Lilles and Hipolito leading the charge, but they lacked the depth to sustain the rally and ultimately fell to Unity Trade, 74–61, who punched their ticket to the semifinals.
Also joining the final four were JIL 2, who outlasted XO Market/Xtreme Fitness, 83–77, and A’s Car Aircon, who eased past AP Group, 108–82.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
