By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE Ilang Ilang division of the 2026 Saipan Billiards Association Budweiser Open 8-Ball League featured key matchups on Thursday night, highlighted by Tom Yum Chon Chon’s strong performance as it added another win to its total in the standings.
The division leaders, Tom Yum Fighters, showed exactly why they hold the top spot in the league, defeating Tom Yum Eleven Tigers, 9-4.
The Fighters jumped out to a strong start in the opening singles round. Franklin Osin, Lance Deleon Guerrero, and Rey Torres each picked up crucial victories to give their team an early 3-1 advantage.
While the Eleven Tigers mounted a brief comeback in the opening doubles frames, powered by wins from the duos of Jack Unsa and Russ Cruz and Warlee Ellama and Joseph Achas, the Fighters completely shut the door in the latter stages of the match. Fighters’ Rey Torres, John Lara, and Oliver Gragasin delivered clutch performances in their second singles matches, while the dominant doubles pairings of Torres and Osin and Gragasin and Lara swept the second Partners 8-Ball set to extend the lead even further.
Despite having the match well in hand, the Fighters added insult to injury as Osin and Gragasin teamed up to win the final game of the night and complete the 9-4 victory.
Victorious, too
Tom Yum Chon Chon was the other team to emerge victorious, stunning third-ranked V.F.W. Noypi 2.0, 8-5.
Chon Chon’s Cesar Sangalang and Eli Mariano set an aggressive tone early with impressive singles victories, but Noypi’s Jerry Patano and Mark Ignacio responded to help their side split the opening Singles 8-Ball set, 2-2.
The back-and-forth battle continued through the next two sets, with neither team able to build a comfortable lead. However, during the second Partners 8-Ball frame, Chon Chon finally gained separation as Roman Rodriguez and Roger, along with Sangalang and Mariano, defeated their respective opponents to complete a two-match sweep. Guerra and Rodriguez then captured the third and final game of the night, securing an 8-5 victory over Noypi.
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.
