670 Rollers’ Elijah Ye pulls up for the contested jumper during a Pokka Cup game against Madflex at the Gilbert C. Ada gym on Sunday.
670 Rollers’ Mikee Mercado Jr. goes up for the floater during a Pokka Cup game against Madflex at the Gilbert C. Ada gym on Sunday.
IN a thrilling game between titans, the 670 Rollers reigned supreme against Madflex, 70-67, to earn their third win in the Pokka Cup 2024 basketball league at the Gilbert C. Ada gym on Sunday.
The 670 Rollers — sponsored by Pacific Amusement and Speaker Edmund Villagomez — focused on ball movement to create openings inside the paint. Although each attempt was contested, Elijah Ye used the opportunity to draw fouls as he contributed four points from the charity line while teammates Ioane Camacho and Dany Defang scored two points apiece.
Madflex, for their part, relied heavily on the skills of Christian Lucero as he led the onslaught with seven points to end the opening quarter in a deadlock, 11-11.
The 670 Rollers took over the spotlight in the second quarter as their starting guards Mikee Mercado Jr. and Heman Addy started to heat up. The duo’s speed and handles easily broke through the pressure defense as they combined for 15 points while holding down Lucero’s productivity to just five points to give the 670 Rollers the lead, 34-23.
In the third period, Madflex managed to take Mercado and Addy out of the picture. Lucero, however, struggled on the offensive end, forcing Kyrell Caraig to step up.
Undaunted, Ye of the 670 Rollers scored 10 points for a 17-point spread, 55-38.
Madflex returned to the fourth and final quarter hungrier than ever. Their full-court pressure defense nearly left the 670 Rollers silent while Lucero regained his confidence with nine points — including two triples — in the first five minutes to reduce the deficit.
Later, Madflex was forced to foul to stop the clock, which was 670 Rollers’ saving grace as a majority of their points came off the free throw line. They then managed to fend off Madflex until the final buzzer, 70-67.
The 670 Rollers and Madflex now share the same win/loss record of 3-1.
Winners, too
On Saturday, Prospects tasted redemption by outlasting Team Marianas, 53-47.
