By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
COMPADRES/RedEyeRebel were crowned champions of the 2025 E-Sports CNMI Invitational Basketball League on Sunday night after putting on a clinic against Kumpare, 82-52, in the finals at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Compadres wasted no time building momentum, displaying crisp ball movement and strong communication on both ends of the court. Chris Sanchez broke the ice with the game’s first bucket and continued to produce offensively throughout the first half alongside Wemby Tabora and Granze Orozco, who later joined the scoring spree with consecutive makes — both contributing eight points each to help establish an early double-digit lead.
Kumpare attempted to respond through the speed of Joseph Torres, who capitalized on defensive stops with fast-break finishes, aided by his teammates’ efforts. However, Compadres’ defensive wall, anchored by Jun Javier, Tabora, and Sanchez, made it difficult for Kumpare to find any rhythm. Each missed opportunity quickly turned into easy transition baskets on the other end, led by Tristan Morilla, who closed out the half with seven straight points to further widen the gap heading into halftime, 35-21.
The second half left little room for a comeback as Compadres’ defense became nearly impenetrable, holding Kumpare to just three points within the first three minutes. Miss after miss, the lead continued to swell as Compadres thrived off their relentless pressure, turning broken plays into fast-break gold with Tabora and Orozco spearheading the onslaught and pushing the score to nearly a 30-point advantage.
With the win all but secured, Compadres emptied their bench, giving players like Servantes, Ryan Guevarra, and Patrick Morilla a chance to join the fun as they found the bottom of the net to put the finishing touches on the victory. As the final buzzer sounded, Compadres sealed the championship in dominant fashion, 82-52, earning both the title and well-deserved bragging rights heading into next season.
Third place
The battle for third place was just as thrilling as Unity Trade and Eagles/Kuya went the distance in a double-overtime showdown.
It was neck and neck through both halves, with Unity Trade clinging to a two-point lead with four seconds left on the clock. However, a lapse in defensive coverage proved costly as they left Dennis Cortez unguarded for an easy layup, forcing the first overtime at 73-73.
The back-and-forth continued through the extra five minutes with multiple lead changes. In the final 10 seconds, Unity Trade looked poised to close it out after a clutch three-pointer by Paul Quizon put them ahead by three, forcing Eagles to foul to stop the clock. But with only 4.7 seconds remaining, Quizon failed to seal the deal as he missed both free throws. Eagles quickly secured the rebound and launched a last-second heave to Rodel Pastrana, who fired from just inside the three-point line — sinking the shot at the buzzer to tie it once more, 83-83, sending the game into double overtime.
Despite the dramatic push from Eagles, Unity Trade held firm in the final stretch as Quizon and Jerik Javier delivered timely buckets to keep control just long enough to escape with the win, 95-88.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
