Loving Hands' Aldrin Dancel extends for the finish during the opening game of the 2023 Saipan MagaLahi Eagles Club Invitational Basketball League at the Gualo Rai basketball court on Sunday.
The Game's Jr Galang extends for the reverse finish during the opening game of the 2023 Saipan MagaLahi Eagles Club Invitational Basketball League at the Gualo Rai basketball court on Sunday.
LOVING Hands grabbed their first win in the 2023 Saipan MagaLahi Eagles Club Invitational Basketball League after slipping past The Game, 85-84, on Sunday at the Gualo Rai basketball court.
The opening quarter saw The Game in control thanks to the work of Jr Galang and Francisco Gutierez who ignited the run with nine points to give their team the lead, 19-11.
In the second quarter, Loving Hands started to find their rhythm. Jude Tengco sank two triples while John Descartin and Bryan Bernardo each chipped in a couple of buckets to tie the game by halftime, 36-36.
The halftime break seemed to have revitalized both teams as they returned to the court hungry for the win.
The Game started to unleash long-ranged attacks led by Francisco Mizutani and Derick Atalig with two and one triple, respectively. But Loving Hands also delivered on the offensive end with Carlos Elchico and Tengco converting three shots from afar while capitalizing on successful defensive stops to grasp the lead, 62-57.
In the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, Loving Hands seemed to have the win in the bag as they extended a double-digit advantage. But thanks to the precision of Mizutani who drained three consecutive three-pointers, The Game managed to close the gap on the deficit.
However, Jude Tengco scored nine crucial points, allowing Loving Hands to eke out a win, 85-84.
Checkpoint also earned a debut win after manhandling JTM, 80-58.
Masters division
In the masters division, Blue Haus trounced Team Legends, 76-54.
Team Legends' chemistry shined early with Jorge De Guzman and Dick Tibayan powering the first quarter with a combined 10 points to give their team the lead, 29-15.
Despite the strong start, Team Legends' lead was quickly taken away as Blue Haus exploded in the second canto thanks to the teamwork orchestrated by Brendon Talania and Jay-R Barrios.
Up 34-31, Blue Haus never looked back and were soon pushing a double-digit spread by the end of the third quarter, which eased their way through the fourth quarter en route to a blowout victory, 76-54.
