Fiesta Resort and Spa shrugged a surging comeback from Shirley’s Coffee Shop and survived, 103-91 to clinch the last semis seat on Tuesday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.
The third-seeded squad couldn’t afford any mishaps, with Marlon Dedios scoring nine points to bring Shirley’s four points behind in the third quarter.
At one point, Fiesta slipped on three turnovers and clung to a 65-64 lead 4:18 into the first half. Elmer Esdrelon however, fired a three-pointer with Ariel Jinang and Jawn Joyner to shove Shirley’s back.
Wowie Abuel also eked out a triple and slipped past Ivan Devero to hand Shirley’s two points three minutes later.
A solid offense backed by Marlon Dedios and Kae Bernardo troubled Fiesta in the fourth quarter. The latter however, squeezed in no baskets in the last 10 minutes while Dedios added only four.
Fiesta not only outscored Shirley’s, 24-16 in the fourth quarter but clobbered their defense on two triples from Esdrelon and center Bruce Berline.
Berline claimed the last two rebounds while Ivan Devero went 6-for-6 in late-game free throws. Esdrelon, who scored 12 of Fiesta’s 25 points in the second quarter, bagged 30 overall.
Devero scored 19, Jinang and Brandon Talania posted 14 each, and Joyner earned 13.
Shirley’s gave up eight points on turnovers and lost momentum after Barrios’ failed attempts behind the three-point line. They blew a seven-point lead in the first period and trailed Fiesta, 46-56 by halftime.
Fiesta stayed alive on a 7-2 record during regular season alongside top-seeded Mobil and DFS Galleria. All three will join PSS-McGraw Hill in tonight’s semifinals.
The winners will advance to this weekend’s championship round.
Scores:
Fiesta Resort and Spa 103 – E. Esdrelon 30, I. Devero 19, A. Jinang 14, B. Talania 14, J. Joyner 13, B. Berline 9, E. Moises 4
Shirley’s Coffee Shop 91 – M. Dedios 27, W. Abuel 16, K. Bernardo 13, R. Usi 10, E. Peredo 8, J. Barrios 7, A. Catungal 6, F. Sedillo 4
Quarterscores: 28-21, 46-56, 75-79, 91-103
McGraw Hill 90, PIC 87
Team Public School System-McGraw Hill joined Fiesta in the winner’s circle after routing Pacific Islands Club-NVM, 90-87.
Dave Sablan and Kelvin Fitial made off with double-digits in Tuesday’s first game and scored 23 and 19 points, respectively.
The duo delivered 11 points in the second quarter to break a 19-19 deadlock. McGraw Hill jumped to a nine-point lead after halftime.
PIC sent players on and off the court in hopes of turning the match but bowed to Sablan’s barrage of layups in the fourth quarter. Bon Tamayo, who scored 23 points, mustered 10 in the second period but came short with PIC’s lackluster second half offense.
McGraw Hill nearly slipped after allowing 26 points from the defending champions in the last period. Sablan poured in six more points while Fitial scored four. Teammates Walter Mendez and James Villacrusis piled 11 points apiece and Marlon Cabrera and Mel Manibusan posted eight each.
Despite James Abuy’s triple, Pete Lizama and Tamayo’s 12 points, and Ponce Rasa’s free throws, PIC still crawled on the losing end with one minute left on the clock.
McGraw Hill’s James Lee, Marlon Cabrera, and Mel Manibusan each fouled out as Sablan, Fitial, and Mendez survived the remaining time.
Scores:
PSS-McGraw Hill 90 – D. Sablan 23, K. Fitial 19, W. Mendez 11, J. Villacrusis 11, M. Cabrera 8, M. Manibusan 8, J. Lee 4, L. Buniag 2, M. Itibus 2, P. Guerrero 2
PIC-NVM 87 – B. Tamayo 23, D. Barbo 15, J. Abuy 13, P. Lizama 11, G. Aquino 6, A. Fernando 6, P. Rasa 4, R. Yabut 3, Z. Johanes 2, JR Mina 2, Z.Diaz 1, Jessie Mina 1
Quarterscores: 19-19, 46-40, 70-61, 90-87
