JSN and Solid North earned their first wins in the 2023 Saipan MagaLahi Eagles Club Invitational Basketball League by defeating their opponents in their respective divisions Wednesday at the Gualo Rai basketball court.
In the masters division, JSN trounced Win Pacific, 99-55.
Despite their dominant victory, JSN did not have a strong start. Win Pacific controlled the opening quarter thanks to the stamina and speed of Joseph Galulu, who powered the first five minutes with eight points. When he was out of the picture, his teammates Joboy Agbanlog and Toto Alano kept the fire burning with a combined 16 points for a double-digit lead, 28-17.
But JSN bounced back in the second canto and went on a scoring rampage led by Penalba and Bisana while holding Win Pacific below 10 team points to take over the lead, 51-35.
Their lead only grew throughout the second half as Win Pacific failed to recover and had to settle for defeat, 55-99.
Open division
In the open division, Solid North outlasted Priority Care, 81-74.
It was a fairly even match, but Solid North had a slight edge on the offensive end thanks to its strong inside game. JR Bayking controlled the paint with consistency while team mate Daryll Foronda delivered the buckets in the second quarter to give their team a 34-29 advantage.
Priority Care’s Matt Duenas and Steve King kept their team within reach, but their aggressive defense kept them behind as two of their players were forced to sit the remainder of the game due to excessive fouls, allowing Solid North to run away with the victory.
