By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE Masters Division of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club 3rd Season Invitational Basketball League 2025 was just as exciting as the lower- and upper-bracket showdowns, as Golden Guyz 3 secured the championship after pulling off a second-half comeback to defeat Golden Guyz 4, 74-69, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Sunday.
It was a game of momentum swings paired with endless lead exchanges.
Golden Guyz 4 had a strong first-half performance thanks to the unmatched speed of Fradel Sedillo, who blew past defenders with ease, scoring 12 consecutive points in one stretch.
On the other end, Golden Guyz 3 equalized with an opposite approach — scoring from beyond the arc. Sonny Lerio started off hot, connecting on back-to-back triples, while Jack Catalan, Joel Saplan, and Jhong Alcantara joined the fray for a total of six made treys that kept them within reach. Fortunately for Golden Guyz 4, the support of Dennis Cortez, Dindo Pablo, and Sonny Ebuen was enough to hold onto the lead going into the halftime break, 35-33.
The second half only intensified. Golden Guyz 3’s defensive effort paid dividends as they shut down Sedillo and turned each forced turnover into a made bucket on the other end, eventually taking control of the pace and the lead.
Holding the advantage, Golden Guyz 4 were forced to foul late in the game to stop the clock, but their attempt was ineffective as Golden Guyz 3’s Jerome Antonio took over with a high-percentage performance at the charity stripe and capped it off with a dagger finish at the rim to seal their 74-69 victory.
Golden Guyz 3 were crowned the masters division champions, followed by Golden Guyz 4 in second place, Golden Guyz 2 in third, and Golden Guyz 1 in fourth.
Special recognition was given to the donors of the trophies, including The New Summit, LLC, HK Sportswear, and Destroyers Basketball Club.
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.
