Unity Trade players pose for a photo after trouncing East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market, 83-63, to advance to the open division finals of the 2nd Saipan Magalahi Eagles Club-Saipan MagaHaga Lady Eagles Group Basketball Tournament at the Ada gym on Saturday.
Unity Trade’s Douglas Schmidt contests the shot of East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market’s Jayart Palmes during an open division semifinal game of the 2nd Saipan Magalahi Eagles Club-Saipan MagaHaga Lady Eagles Group Basketball Tournament at the Ada gym on Saturday.
UNITY Trade will vie for the open division title of the 2nd Saipan Magalahi Eagles Club-Saipan MagaHaga Lady Eagles Group Basketball Tournament after eliminating East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market, 83-63, in a semifinal game at the Gilbert C. Ada gym on Saturday.
Douglas Schmidt was Unity Trade’s saving grace as he carried the team from start to finish.
Schmidt’s shooting performance was impeccable as he opened the scoreboard with three consecutive triples to put Unity Trade ahead.
East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market fought back with defensive stops orchestrated by Marvin Rabauliman and offensive contributions from Francisco Mizutani and Airson Atan.
But Schmidt connected four more three-pointers while teammates Christian De Vero and Elmer Esdrelon kept the fuel burning with 10 points combined in the last six minutes to reinforce their lead, 43-35.
East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market failed to recover momentum in the second half. Despite the efforts of Rabauliman, Mizutani, and Atan, their attempts resulted in more misses than makes, allowing Unity Trade’s lead to grow further out of reach.
Shane Deleon Guerrero joined Unity Trade’s run, contributing six points, while Schmidt continued his hot streak, sinking four more buckets from beyond the arc to maintain a double-digit lead en route to an 83-63 victory.
U17 division semifinals
In the U17 boys division semifinal game, Triple R Auto Parts outlasted Rollers II, 78-71.
Triple R Auto Parts seemed to have the win in the palm of their hands as they displayed a dominant first-half performance.
Teamwork and great ball movement allowed them to create scoring opportunities led by Christian Lucero and Iverson Quizon with 15 and 9 points, respectively, to push a double-digit lead, 40-27.
Rollers II were not going down without a fight, however, as they cooked up a rally in the second half. Arce Sangalang acted as the sparkplug by sinking back-to-back triples while Heman Addy and Peyton Basa added fuel to the fire with six points each to close the distance.
However, Lucero continued to find an answer on the other end to maintain a slight lead with Tristan Que and John Lucero draining the last three points to secure the win for Triple R Auto Parts, 78-71.
Scores:
Unity Trade 83 – Douglas Schmidt 49, Elmer Esdrelon 9, Christian De Vero 8, Shane Deleon Guerrero 6, Ivan De Vero 3, Joel Javier 3, Juan Camacho 3, Dhan Mateo 2
East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market 63 – Franisco Mizutani 22, Marvin Rabauliman 15, Airson Atan 14, Matt Duenas 4, Iverson Atan 4, Steve King 4
***
Triple R Auto Parts 78 – Christian Lucero 34, Iverson Quizon 11, Onick Raybonshe 10, John Dilao 8, Matthew Peters 6, John Lucero 3, Mik Domingo 2, Simon Romero 2, Tristan Que 2
Rollers II 71 – James Matsumoto 19, Peyton Basa 16, Arce Sangalang 12, Heman Addy 10, Evan Cabrera 6, Slymark Defang 3, JC Enriquez 2, Jayden Defang 3
