Armatech came from behind and defeated B-bracket pennant champion Cargo Express-Seabridge, 83-81 in game one and Soul Jazz followed with a close 93-92 victory over Saipan World Resort.
Cargo Express and Saipan World Resort will play a knockout match tonight, with Armatech and Soul Jazz dueling for the first finals seat.
Armatech 83, Cargo Express 81
Armatech’s Martin Moreno and Ivan De Vero tallied 24 points each to upset Cargo-Express Seabridge and their powerhouse Lerio Pagarao, 83-81.
Even with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Leo Itaas, Armatech still triumphed despite falling behind in the first, second, and third periods.
Ahead by four points, Cargo Express quickly lost the lead on a myriad of turnovers from Elmer Esdrelon and Ivan De Vero.
Moreno notched 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, mainly on open layups and two late-game 3’s. Esdrelon totaled two three-pointers from the first half and capped off with two free throws for a 17 total. Center Bruce Berline blocked a couple attempts from Pagarao before fouling out three minutes into the final period.
Meanwhile, Francis Rebuyon added three more points for a five total.
Pagarao notched a game high 32 points, posting 19 from the first half.
A combination of power and speed from Armatech’s defense left Sonny Lerio struggling to keep up, allowing him only three points in the second half. Aside from Pagarao, however, Lerio (12 points), Itaas (11), and Rosel Ritual (14) also bagged double digit scores.
Berline scored 11 points and Bernard Montano added two for Armatech.
Scores:
Armatech 83 – I. De Vero 24, M. Moreno 24, E. Esdrelon 17, B. Berline 11, F. Rebuyon 5, B. Montano 2
Cargo Express-Seabridge 81 – L. Pagarao 32, R. Ritual 14, S. Lerio 12, L. Itaas 11, W. Jung 7, M. Rotap 3, R. Lavarias 2
Quarterscores: 21-20, 44-38, 64-60, 81-83
Soul Jazz 93, World Resort 92
In the following game, Gyles Ruluked’s free throw was all Soul Jazz needed to edge Saipan World Resort, 93-92.
Soul Jazz’s Freddie Pelisamen top scored at 35 points, landing 15 in the fourth quarter. Pelisamen’s run-and-gun plays proved enough to topple World Resort as Jessie Mina and Glen Aquino tallied 18 and 13, respectively.
Soul Jazz had earlier dominated most of the game, with 23-19 and 46-39 leads in the first and second periods.
Despite constant attacks from Dennis Vinas, Pelisamen still pulled through on five layups and five free throws in addition to Mina, Ruluked, and Aquino’s combined 13 points.
Vinas piled 32 points, Banjo Basila scored 28, and Wowie Abuel squeezed in 13 overall. They lost Jam Navarro and Dennis Morales, both of whom fouled out in the second half.
Scores:
Soul Jazz 93 – F. Pelisamen 35, J. Mina 18, G. Aquino 13, G. Ruluked 11, L. Apelo 6, P. Inos 5, JR Mina 1
Saipan World Resort 96 – D. Vinas 32, B. Basila 28, W. Abuel 13, J. Navarro 9, D. Morales 4, J. Wabinga 4, N. Ramos 2
Quarterscores: 23-19, 46-39, 65-64, 93-92
