THE Game earned their first win in the open division of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club Basketball League thanks to a strong fourth quarter finish to defeat Lakay 94-81 Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex.
It was a fairly even match between both teams from start to finish. In the first quarter, ball movement was the highlight as The Game made use of all their offensive options to feed Arellano from inside the paint where he scored six points while team mate Mintac constantly drove to the hoop to force the foul and contribute five points from the free throw line.
For their part, Lakay created a variety of shot opportunities with Natividad knocking down two three-pointers while Palacios and Rabauliman attacked the rim for a combined six points to cut The Game’s lead, 20-22.
Both teams continued to produce buckets in the second canto, but this time Lakay took control. Ong, who only had two points, was suddenly unstoppable and delivered 10 points while Natividad and Palacios sank trifectas to give Lakay a 47-42 advantage by half-time.
But their momentum was shut down in the third quarter as The Game managed to silence Rabauliman which forced the rest of Lakay to step up.
Unfortunately, only Natividad and Gant remained productive, scoring 11 of their team’s 15 points while The Game with Mintac at the frontline was relentless and soon regained the lead, 64-62.
Lakay tried to fight back in the final quarter, but during the last two minutes of the game, their defense started to fall apart. Meanwhile, Mintac’s aggressiveness at the rim allowed The Game to pull away with just over a minute left on the clock.
Scores
The Game 94 — Mintac 24, Arellano 19, Dayao 18, Lizama 13, Sagum 10, Rangamar 6, Hernandez 4
Lakay 81 — Natividad 26, Ong 14, Rabauliman 9, Palacios 9, Jandoc 6, Gant 9, Escano 4, Capalad 2, Santos 2
The Game’s Arellano makes contact as he posts inside the paint during an Open Division game of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club Basketball League Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex.
The Game’s Mintac rises for the finish as he gets fouled during an Open Division game of the Saipan Centennial Lions Club Basketball League Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex.
