New Chang Ming’s Alex Standish gets fouled as he goes for the shot during a Saipan Centennial Lions Club Invitational Basketball League game at the Civic Center basketball court.
NEW Chang Ming became the first team to secure a spot in the championship round of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club Invitational Basketball League after outlasting the Martech Ol’aces, 80-76, on Monday at the Civic Center basketball court.
It was New Chang Ming’s dominant start that set the tone. Jack Aranda orchestrated the team’s offensive push as he played aggressively around the perimeter, scoring seven points within the first five minutes of the opening quarter.
The Ol’Aces were missing their main scorer, Douglas Schmidt, and greatly struggled to build momentum. They could only muster nine team points for the entire first 10 minutes of play.
New Chang Ming continued to thrive with Aranda delivering his first triple of the night, along with one more bucket while team mates Alvin Almario and Keith Santos came off the bench to score a combined 12 points to give their team a comfortable lead, 33-9.
But the Ol’Aces managed to get out of the gutter with Preston Basa connecting a total of four consecutive triples. They still had a lot of work to do as New Chang Ming maintained a 20-point lead by the end of the third period, 67-43.
The Ol’Aces’ efforts were finally rewarded during the fourth and final quarter.
Basa fired back-to-back threes while Aiferson Atan and Kevin Kabiriel joined in with a pair of triples. Basa then resumed the bombardment with two more long-range buckets to cut down Chang Ming’s lead.
But New Chang Ming was saved by point guard Jeffrey Castro who converted two three-pointers followed by a finish at the rim.
This forced the Ol’Aces to foul to stop the clock.
New Chang Ming had three separate attempts at the charity line with Gerald Flores, Sid Quan and Shane Deleon Guerrero splitting their free throw shots.
However, Basa reached the limit in the number of fouls he could commit and was forced to sit down. With not enough time for a Hail Mary play on the part of the Ol’Aces, New Chang Ming notched victory and advanced to the finals, 80-76.
The Game vs Puerto Rico Bento
The Game is still in line for a shot at the title after eliminating Puerto Rico Bento, 76-63.
Following an even start, The Game built enough momentum to establish control during the second quarter. They found their rhythm early as DJ Ong and Jun Hernandez ignited a scoring run with a bucket each from beyond the arc while Greg Sablan took the action inside with six points. Joe Sablan then converted his team’s third triple to seize the lead, 38-28.
Coby Santos was the main scorer for Puerto Rico Bento throughout the second half of the game, but Sablan finished strong with three three-pointers in a row to secure the win for The Game, 79-63.
The Martech Ol’Aces and The Game will face each other in a win-or-go-home semifinal game today, Wednesday, with the victor going up against New Chang Ming for the title.
