IWBL: End of the regular season

Powerhouses MARPAC-Nissan Titans and Bud Ice-SaipanCell Hoopaholics closed the first round of the 2005 Budweiser Cup BANMI Men's Island-wide Basketball League regular season with impressive victories at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. I used Shan Seman's article for SaipanTribune to cover this story.

In the opener, the Titans won their sixth game in seven chances with a 103-92 win over Michelob-Masters Construction. Jawn Joyner led the Titans with 30pts, while Mark Wallace and Tim Wesley had 22 and 14pts. Dave Sablan finished with a game-high 43 points, while Ed Diaz and Dexter Mendiola added 13 and 12 points for Michelob.
In the second game, the Hoopaholics used their full-court pressure defense late in their game against Anheuser-3's Construction and came back from a four-point deficit for an 86-81 victory. It was a seesaw game from beginning to end, with neither team managing to break into a comfortable lead. Jason Amado and Melvin Manibusan led Bud Ice with 22pts apiece, while James Villacrusis and Silas Awes finished with 16 and 12pts. Pando Muleta and Kevin Cequena led Anheuser with 17pts each.