By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
WHEN it came down to the wire, Kim’s/Ace’s Barbers proved the doubters wrong as a clutch corner three-pointer from Jeff Che lifted them past Unity Trade/Yabangis, 67–66, securing the lower-bracket championship of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club 3rd Season Invitational Basketball League 2025 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Sunday.
From the opening whistle, it was clear the matchup would be an intense finale, with both teams evenly matched on both ends of the court.
The first half featured several lead changes. Unity Trade’s offense was driven by Jerome Directo and Christian De Vero, who shot efficiently inside the perimeter, while Mike Aparte and Ariel Moises kept the rhythm going to maintain momentum.
Kim’s countered with crisp ball movement to generate shot opportunities. Ronald Esmores, Eric Agustin, and Olipai led the attack with strong finishes at the rim, and a handful of well-timed triples kept the balance intact as the teams entered halftime tied at 29–29.
Unity Trade began to settle in during the second half, gradually dictating the pace. De Vero continued to dominate in the post, drawing fouls and putting defenders in foul trouble as Unity Trade built a lead that stretched to seven points.
But the tide shifted dramatically in the final 10 minutes. Kim’s applied a full-court press that pushed Unity Trade into panic mode. Struggling to control possession, Unity Trade committed a series of costly turnovers, which Kim’s quickly converted into fast-break points to pull within one, 62–61.
Unity Trade fought to stay ahead, with De Vero sinking a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 66–64 with just 10 seconds left.
But Kim’s pulled off the miracle they needed. Moving the ball up the court with high-risk passes, they found Che open in the corner, and he drilled the uncontested clutch triple to give Kim’s a 67–66 edge.
Unity Trade managed to get three shot attempts off in the frantic final seconds, but none found the bottom of the net. Che secured the final defensive rebound and held on as time expired, sealing the victory and the lower-bracket championship title for Kim’s/Ace’s Barbers.
Scores
Kim’s/Ace’s Barbers 67 – Eric Agustin 16, Ronald Esmores 15, Jeff Che 11, Zandro Nierves 9, Olopai 8, Edgar Agustin 3, Jay Villegas 3, Rodmar Diaz 2
Unity Trade/Yabangis 66 – Christian De Vero 20, Jerome Directo 12, Ariel Moises 11, Mike Aparte 10, Raymond Velasco 5, Jonathan Broncano 4, Ryan Santiago 2, Paul Quizon 2
Individual awards
Jeff Che’s game-winning three-pointer not only secured the championship title for Kim’s/Ace’s Barbers, but also earned him the Finals MVP award. Unity Trade’s Jerome Directo was named Season MVP, while Abe Sacramento received the Best Coach award.
Joining them were the Mythical Five, which consists of Eric Agustin (Best Guard), Jun Estolas (Best Guard), Jerome Directo (Best Forward), Jovert Menjales (Best Forward), and Jorge De Guzman (Best Center).
Finishing in third place was A’s Car Aircon, followed by JIL II, JIL I, 670 Xtreme Fitness/XO Market, and AP Group, which also won the Sportsmanship Award.
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.
