Tritons and Four-Stars pull upsets and advance to semifinals in Triton Men's Basketball League
Tritons and Four-Stars pull upsets and advance to semifinals in Triton Men's Basketball League
Tritons and Four-Stars pull upsets and advance to semifinals in Triton Men's Basketball League
4/19/2022
After pulling upsets Monday night in the Triton Men’s Basketball League, the University of Guam Triton Men’s Basketball Team and the M.B.I. Four-Stars will advance to the semifinals on Wednesday. Both teams had 1-9 records in the regular season and secured wins in the first round of playoffs on Monday at the UOG Calvo Field House. The Four-Stars defeated Team OG 104-98, and the Tritons defeated Team Wu Tang 78-74.
In the opener, Team OG controlled the game early — leading by eight points, 25-17, after the first quarter and by 10 points halfway through the second period. However, the Four-Stars came back to pull within two points at halftime and had a strong run in the third period. With Mav Kinareng adding 11 points and Rod Simina adding nine points, the Four-Stars outscored Team OG 33-23 in the third period and took the lead.
Team OG mounted several attacks in the fourth period, but the Four-Stars remained in control with Simina scoring 16 points in the final quarter. The Four-Stars pulled an upset and defeated Team OG with a final score of 104-98.
Simina led the Four-Stars with 33 points, while Alshae Grape led Team OG with 30 points. The Four Stars improved to 2-9 and will take on the MVP Stars in the semifinals at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Team OG finished the season with a 5-6 record.
In the second game of the night, the Tritons defeated Team Wu Tang 78-74. Although Team Wu Tang started the game with only seven players on their roster, they outscored UOG in the first quarter and led 43-34 at halftime. The Tritons fought back to tie the game 50-50 at the five-minute mark of the third quarter and led 57-54 entering the final quarter.
Both teams battled evenly during the fourth quarter, but the Tritons maintained a three to four-point lead from start to finish. In the game's final ten minutes, the Tritons stole the ball from Team Wu Tang and made an easy layup with just one second left — putting the game away 78-74.
Diane' "D" Blackmon led the Tritons with 25 points while Nicholas Panganiun added 21. Ant Manchen and Len Thompson were the top scorers for Team Wu Tang with 24 points each.
The Tritons improved to 2-9 and will take on the KFC Bombers in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the UOG Calvo Field House. Team Wu Tang finished the season with a 6-5 record.
All games are played at the UOG Calvo Field House. Entry fees are $3 for adults, $2 for non-UOG students and senior citizens, and no charge for UOG students and children age five and below. All games are streamed live on the Triton Athletics Facebook channel.