Team Surangel Kings displayed composure and kept their mind in the game as they beat Ngermid Rivals, 90-82 in Game One of their best of three championship series of the IP&E Amateur Basketball League (ABL) at the Palau National gym.

The Kings showed their might as they erected a 22-15 lead in the opening quarter and finished strong in the second as they outscored the Rivals with a 25-23 output to end the first half of play with a 47-38 advantage.

In the third canto, the game went physical as both teams tried to tried to establish dominance inside the paint, but Surangel Kings proved too much as their towering bigmen won the game inside the paint as they further widen their lead at 68-58.

After gaining control of the middle of the paint, Surangel Stars then went to dominate the shooting department as they widen their gap against the Rivals at 90-70 with barely 2 minutes left in the game. From there the Kings would hold on to win the game and gain the upper hand in the series.

Adam McQuistan led the scoring chores for the Kings with 28 point as Armando Canseco, Joseph Osorio, Reid Una Rikrik and Arnold Undecimo chipped in 20, 13, 11 and 10 markers, respectively.

On the other hand, Marvic Ngchar topscored for the Rivals with 19 baskets on a losing effort while teammates Elway and King Ngiraboi normed 15 and 14 points, in that order.

Game Two of the championship series is playing as of this writing while a possible winner-take-all Game Three is set on March 18 at 7 p.m.

Teams are reminded to use their uniform in every game. The jersey/t-shirts should match with the shorts and their numbers. Teams will be charged $25 for failure to comply and will be defaulted.

The tournament, which is supervised by the Palau Basketball Federation (PBF), is a tobacco, alcohol and drug free program. For more information call Topps at 488-4491. By Peter Erick L. Magbanua (Island Times News)