THE Game earned their third win in the open division of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club Basketball League by holding their ground against Bluehaus Ali’i 90-81 Friday at the TSL Sports Complex.
Against RNV, JTM was simply dominant, winning 78-53 in the other open division game.
In the opening quarter against The Game, Bluehaus was carried by Ivan De Vero who continuously attacked the rim to sink six points. His constant attack also drew a handful of fouls, allowing him to add three points from the free-throw line.
The Game tried to match up offensively, mostly relying on the mid-range jumper as they could not get inside due to Bluehaus’ height advantage.
But The Game’s Cabaltica and Williams still managed to score a pair of buckets.
Bluehaus, for their part, kept the rhythm flowing with De Guzman, Talania and Peredo providing extra firepower to give their team the lead, 25-15.
In the second half, The Game made a huge impact defensively. Cutting Bluehaus’s production by nearly half, The Game gradually reduced the margin to 37-44, thanks mainly to the work of Calbaltica, Williams and Sagun.
Bluehaus tried to maintain its lead in the third quarter, but lacked the offensive power they showed in the first half of the game.
As for The Game, the defensive stops empowered a run led by Deleon Guerrero who ignited with 12 points to further reduce Bluehaus’s lead, 60-64.
In the fourth and final quarter, The Game went all out and suddenly found their range from behind the three-point line as Sablan knocked down three consecutive makes while Deleon Guerrero and William’s added two more to give their team the lead for the first time.
With only De Vero, Lauron and De Guzman producing points, Bluehaus eventually faded away as The Game notched a comeback victory, 90-81.
JTM vs RNV
JTM collected their third straight win by demolishing RNV.
It was in the second quarter when JTM set the tone with an offensive run. Directo found his groove as he lit up the scoreboard with nine points while team mate Broncano delivered buckets as well to give their team a 53-30 spread.
The lead only grew larger in the second half as RNV could score seven points only while JTM did just enough to maintain a double-digit gap en route to a 78-53 victory.
Scores
The Game 90 – Deleon Guerrero 23, Williams 18, Sagun 16, Sablan 12, Mintac 8, Cabaltica 6, Payas 3, Rangamar 3
Bluehaus Ali’i 81 – De Vero 25, De Guzman 19, Peredo 11, Talania 10, Lauron 8, Esdrelon 5, Berline 2, Bernardo 1
***
JTM 78 – Dancel 18, Directo 14, Ferrer 10, Broncano 9, Bayna 9, Gontar 5, Lagado 4, Camacho 4, Rodriguez 3, Robiego 2
RNV 53 – Villacrusis 23, Vargas 5, Padolina 4, Casiano 4, Onit 2, Villamil 2, Camonas 2
The Game’s Mac Mintac gets surrounded by four defenders as he goes up for the shot during a Saipan Centennial Lions Club Basketball League game at the TSL Sports Complex.
