FINAL FOUR GET PAST QUARTERFINALS

Friars Survive Upset From Battle Hardy Sharks

By Patrick Lujan

Talent held off heart – barely.

The talent-filled FD Friars, tied for the best record in the league (14-2), survived a major upset at home 54-51 in overtime at the hands of the Sanchez Sharks, the team with arguably the biggest heart.

“We didn’t play our best tonight, but that’s a testament to (Sanchez) coach (Jin) Han and his team,” FD head coach Eddie Pelkey commented. “They consistently put us in tough situations and are a true reflection of his character.”

After a back-and-forth highly entertaining game in regulation tied at 48, it was as simple as hitting free throws that advanced the Friars into Tuesday’s semifinals against the Okkodo Bulldogs.

Both teams carried their double bonus situation into the extra period. The difference? FD went 4-for-4 from the line while Sanchez was 1-for-4. Ballgame.

It was in regulation that had the fans off their seats on numerous occasions as the Sharks put in a bid for Upset of the Year.

Friars Tristan Jose gets a rejection on Sharks John Buan. (photo by Ricardo Atendido)

Coming off a sloppy first half that saw both teams shoot a horrible 25% combined (FD 8-for-28; SS 3-for-16), the Friars used a 15-2 run in the third quarter that had the home team take a comfortable 36-26 lead. This, after trailing the entire game up until this point.

With all 15 Friars getting playing time and having fresh legs, it looked as if the lead would only balloon.

“Once we got in the flow, we were able to separate ourselves in the 4th quarter, but made a lot of bad decisions that got them back in the game,” Pelkey said.

The feisty Sharks had other ideas as point guard Kalvin Vitug and forward Ralph Devera combined for 15 fourth-quarter points to pull Sanchez back into the game.

It was Devera’s 3-pointer with :40 left in the game that tied it at 48-48 and sent it into overtime.

“I can’t be any more proud of how big of a heart my team displayed tonight versus a tough FD team,” Sharks coach Han said. “We could’ve easily folded being down 10, but they battled back and left it all out on the floor. Just unfortunate we came up a little short.”

“An ugly win, but it’s still a win and I’ll take it,” coach Pelkey added.

NOTES
– Sanchez led 9-6 after the first quarter as both teams combined to shoot 4-for-19
– All-Island First Team guard John Buan dislocated his right pinky finger with 3:23 left in the 4th quarter. He was back in the game at the 2:09 mark after assistant coach Arvin Domingo popped it back into place.
– All-Island FD senior Tristan Jose was the lone Friar in double-digit scoring with 11 points as 10 players scored. Defensive inside man Jujuan King pulled down 11 boards.
– Vitug had a game-high 16 points for the Sharks with Devera adding 10. Buan only had seven points on 2-for-11 shooting, but did lead the team with six rebounds, five steals and three assists.
– Fouls: FD 29, SS 23; Reb: FD 30, SS 23; TO: FD 22, SS 22; FG: FD 18-50, SS 13-42; FT: FD 17-28; SS 22-39

Bulldogs Pull Through Against Dolphins

By John Baza

In a seemingly perfect matchup between two teams who were peaking at the right time in the season, it was the Okkodo Bulldogs who emerged victorious against the Southern High Dolphins with a 70-66 win this Saturday night at the Okkodo gym.

Bulldogs Karl Melencio and Vern Gustilo led the Bulldogs with 19 apiece, followed by Nate Lorenzo who chipped in 14. Southern’s Diallo Cruz led all scorers with 21, followed by teammates Jardaleza and Teologo who added 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Both teams started the game aggressive and eager to cease control from the get go, but it was the Bulldogs who would hold a 20-15 lead behind scoring from Nate Lorenzo and Christian Acosta.

As the Dolphins started to chip away at the Bulldogs’ lead, Okkodo would answer immediately with a bucket on the ensuing play to keep the visitors at bay. Later, four straight points from the Dolphins’ Ryan Teologo and a buzzer-beating put back from Chris Lopez boosted the visiting team to a 35-33 lead at the half.

Southern was able to extend their lead to five (47-42) halfway through the 3rd behind steals generated by Jardaleza, which were then converted down the other side of the court.

Michael Borja of Southern goes up for the block on Nate Lorenzo. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

But Vern Gustilo and Karl Melencio went on a seven-point run of their own to end the quarter at 53-51, Southern up.

Okkodo came out charging as Gustilo sparked a 5-point run to give his team the advantage.

The Bulldogs would continue to build up their lead (63-55) with 3 minutes left in the quarter, forcing the Dolphins to play catch up.

However, the visiting Dolphins got a huge lift as Diallo Cruz hit back to back 3 pointers with 1:30 left to play to bring them within striking distance (63-61).

But that was the closest the Dolphins would come as Okkodo’s Lorenzo played momentum killer again, scoring a clutch layup down the middle off the inbounds play.

The Dolphins’ defense forced many turnovers, giving them opportunities to cut down the lead, but the Southern team wasn’t able to go get a bucket to sink in, giving the Bulldogs the W for the night.

Geckos Knock Warriors Out Of Playoffs

By Jay Leon Guerrero

The GW Geckos advanced to the IIAAG Boys basketball final four after eliminating the St. Paul Warriors 80-67 Saturday night on their home court. The Geckos did what they do best and out-rebounded their opponents to claim victory.

Devin San Agustin, who made the GSPN Gadao first team, had a huge game with 26 points and 14 rebounds. San Agustin’s performance countered Warrior John San Andres’ double-double who had 26 points and 17 rebounds.

The Geckos shot 54% from the field, stunning the Warriors with an early double digit lead. San Agustin and Jacob Frias hit three-pointers for the Geckos in the first half as they went up 38-25 in the second quarter.

Chris Monk sparked a short run for the Warriors before halftime scoring on back-to-back possessions and San Andres tipped in a shot as they went into the locker room down 42-34.

Foul trouble plagued the Warriors in the second half with guards Adrian Manansala and Angelo Rhodes spending time on the bench with four fouls. The Geckos capitalized and went on a run to start the fourth quarter with sixth man Kyle Gaitan scoring seven quick points to push the lead to 70-50 with six minutes left in regulation.

Geckos Nathaniel Kyle Gaitan pulls up for a midrange jumper. (photo by Joey Blas)

Gaitan hit a jumper, converted on an “and-1” three point play, and made a fast break lay-in to force the Warriors to call a timeout. The Warriors brought their starting unit back in the game, but Manansala and Rhodes both fouled out and the Geckos cruised to victory.

Gecko freshman Gaitan had 16 points off the bench, Frias scored 10 points and dished out 5 assists. Monk had 14 points for the Warriors, Manasala scored seven in limited playing time.

Rebounding and second shot opportunities were key for the Geckos. San Agustin and Mathew Soto had a solid rebounding game for the Gecko front court combining for 23 rebounds. “They have a solid big man and we focused on staying on our feet on defense and grabbing a man for the box out,” said San Agustin.

The Geckos will face the top-seeded JFK Islanders next at JFK. The Geckos lost their only meeting at JFK by 12 points. San Agustin said that his team learned from their loss and they will need to play really good defense in order to have a shot a winning against the Islanders.

“JFK is a really fast team and they are quick on their feet. We need to focus on our defense and try to stop their fast breaks,” said San Agustin.

Stats:

Warriors:
John San Andres – 26 PTS, 17 REB, 2 BLK
Chris Monk – 14 PTS, 2 STLP
Allan Santos – 9 PTS, 4 AST
Adrian Manasala – 7 PTS

Geckos:
Devin San Agustin – 26 PTS, 14 REB, 2 BLK
Kyle Gaitan – 16 PTS, 2 AST
Jacob Frias – 10 PTS, 5 AST
Ethan Alegre – 7 PTS, 4 REB

Team stats:
Rebounds – Warriors 32, Geckos 38
Field goal percentage – 37%, Geckos 54%
Turnovers – Warriors 14, Geckos 17
Assists – Warriors 12, Geckos 17

Other Score

JFK 64, Guam High 46

PHOTO GALLERY:

(photo by Ricardo Atendido)

Sharks John Buan drives hard through the Friar defense. (photo by Ricardo Atendido)

Ryan Teologo swoops in to grab a pass intended for Karl Melencio. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Nate Lorenzo goes up to put down two points for the Bulldogs. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Karl Melencio powers into Cody Terlaje on his way to the basket. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Christian Lopez of Southern puts up a floater while jamming into Karl Melencio. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Michael Borja stretches out to block the shot of Aiden Ferrera. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Michael Borja of Southern goes up for the block on Nate Lorenzo. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Christian Acosta of Okkodo jams to the baseline to find an open teammate for a pass. (photo by Kyle Twardowski)

Geckos Lester Gaitan converts on the short shot despite contact. (photo by Joey Blas)

Geckos Jason Frias brings the ball down court while the Warriors try and trap. (photo by Joey Blas)

(photo by Joey Blas)

Warriors center John San Andres attempts a long fadeaway. (photo by Joey Blas)