East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market players pose for a group photo after beating Elite in the open division of the 2nd Saipan Magalahi Eagles Club – Saipan MagaHaga Lady Eagles Group Basketball Tournament 2024 at the Ada gym on Saturday.
EAST Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market dominated the favored Elite, 86-56, in the 2nd Saipan Magalahi Eagles Club – Saipan MagaHaga Lady Eagles Group Basketball Tournament at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Saturday.
Elite had a good start with Mii Tekopua finding his rhythm early by making his way inside the paint to score the first seven points. However, the rest of his team failed to deliver and had more misses than makes, which allowed East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market to catch up. Airson Atan, Francisco Mizutani and Steve King delivered as their team continued to drain buckets within the first 20 minutes of the game to seize the lead, 40-23.
Without key players Coby and Keith Santos, Elite had to rely on the inside game of Gerald Flores, Eli Aughenbaugh and Tekopua. But despite their efforts, they struggled on the defensive end throughout most of the exchanges.
East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market’s Jay Palmes joined the fray in the second half alongside Alex Lauron, Marvin Rabauliman, and King, who shot the lights out from beyond the arc.
Outmanned, outmuscled and outplayed, Elite had to settle for defeat, 56-86.
U17 division
In the U17 division, 670 Rollers 1 edged Ol’Aces, 61-59.
Rollers 1 displayed dominance in the first half as Kian Helgen stole the show by scoring 16 points. But he also had a strong supporting cast in JP Pineda, Dany Defang, and Kachuo Norech as they build a considerable lead, 40-21.
The game was not over, however, as the Ol’Aces sought redemption in the second half and nearly succeeded. The full-court pressure played a major factor in their comeback attempt as they forced several turnovers with Omari Joab, Franklin Eriich, and Javen Camacho at the frontline to finish each stop with fastbreak finishes.
Rollers 1 struggled to reignite the momentum but was fortunate to have Enzo Sasamoto step up to the challenge with three crucial buckets while Pineda finished strong to secure victory, 61-59.
Scores
East Side Cuts/Saipan Fresh Market 86 – Steve King 31, Airson Atan 15, Francisco Mizutani 15, Alex Lauron 8, Jay Palmes 8, Marvin Rabauliman 6, Hank Sablan 3
Elite 56 – Mii Tekopua 15, Eli Aughenbaugh 12, Gerald Flores 9, Aldan 7, Jeff Castro 5, Tony Kim 4, JJ Sablan 2, Su Diwa 2
***
Rollers 1 61 – Kian Helgen 20, JP Pineda 14, Dany Defang 10, Kachuo Norech 10, Enzo Sasamoto 5, Jared Villagomez 2
Ol’Aces 59 – Omari Joab 12, Theo Joab 11, Javen Camacho 8, Simon Tang 7, Franklin Eriich 7, Santiago Seman 4, Mjay Capalad 3, Tatum Jones 2, Tomwar Rangamar 2, Justin Camacho 2, Julian Taitano 1
